From a Distance
by Tia-Chan18
Summary: AU: If you're only going to pity me, I don't want it. You're way out of my league, so why do you insist on entering my life? IchiHime
1. Your presence calls for me

_**Hello everyone! This is a new story that I vaguely had in the back of my head. I've been contemplating if I should even write it. However, I'll let you guys be the judge of this story. If you want me to continue, I will do so.**_

_**I'm not completely sure where this is going yet. But, please bear with me!**_

_**This is AU btw!**_

_**(I don't own bleach.)**_

* * *

_Was it a dream?_

_Was it a memory?_

_Either way, I cannot remember._

_._

_._

_._

It was a typical morning in the Inoue home. There was no sound except for the girl that was running about, cooking her breakfast, getting ready for school and tidying up. It was the first day back from vacation, yet it did not feel that way. To her, it felt like a lifetime since she went.

She wasn't sure what made her vacation go so slow. Sure, she didn't hang out with anyone, because she didn't really have friends. But, she felt that perhaps it was going to be different. She didn't really do much, though she did add in some decorations that she was able to finally afford. She worked most of her vacation.

**So what was different?**

Shaking her head, she sighed. Bringing her breakfast to the living room, she sat down and turned on the tv. The weather was the channel it was on and she kept her eyes glued to it, vaguely realizing she hardly touched her breakfast.

Frowning, she looked at the clock above her entertainment center.

_6:50am_

_Oh no! I'm going to be late!_

Quickly grabbing her things, she placed her dishes in the sick, kissing her brother's picture goodbye, and ran out the door.

Making sure it was locked, she twisted the knob. A smile appeared on her face when she realized it wouldn't open.

With her bag on her back, she held her jacket in her arm before heading out.

.

.

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_Your face looks very familiar._

_Yet I cannot remember your name._

_._

_._

_._

Grumbling, a teenager with bright, orange hair rolled out of bed. He was used to his father coming and trying to kick him in the stomach, yet he didn't do it today. Ruffling his locks, he went to the bathroom, hopping in the shower. Today was going to be a bad day.

He could feel it.

Ichigo turned on the tap and began to wash his body. He couldn't take his time today, as he promised to walk to school with his usual group of friends. He was always one of the last ones to meet up, mostly because he would take too long in the shower.

Quickly washing his hair, he hopped out and began to dress. Ruffling his hair with the towel, it dried rather fast, though it still stood up. It didn't matter what he did to it, it would never change. Brushing his teeth, he couldn't get school out of his head. For some weird reason, he couldn't shake this feeling that something was going to happen.

If it didn't happen today, then it would sometime in the future.

Shaking his head, he headed downstairs to the kitchen, where his twin sisters were sitting down at the table, already eating.

"Where's the old man?"

Karin shrugged while staring at the t.v., Yuzu was the one who answered. "He had to leave early. The hospital needed help and he offered to assist. He should be back later!"

Nodding, he grabbed his lunch, courtesy of Yuzu, and took a couple waffles. Making sure his bag was in his hand, he put his shoes on.

"I'm leaving! Karin, get up and get ready for school."

Karin just grunted while keeping her eyes on the screen. Yuzu smiled. "Have a good day onii-chan!"

Opening the door, he let the breeze hit his face.

Yep. Today was going to be horrible.

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Like usual, Orihime got to class early. She always did. She hated being late, and she preferred to arrive early so she could look over her notes from the previous day.

Plus she was **alone**.

Orihime didn't hate being alone. Rather, she preferred it. It was easy for her to think, to study. She didn't like being surrounded by others. It suffocated her, trapped her, and she could never breathe properly when there was too many people around.

Her brother died in a car accident when she was ten. Her parents died when she was three. She had her aunt come by every now and then, but she lived in Tokyo. She has a car, but she was always busy with her work that she hardly saw Orihime. The young girl was okay with it though, for she agreed to help pay for her schooling as well as her rent. Orihime, not wanting to feel like a freeloader, got a job at a small bakery that was not far from her place. Her aunt refused at first, but when she heard the young girl's plea, she relented.

That was a few months ago.

Not realizing the time, she frowned. Lately, she had been losing track of time, always thinking about things that should never enter her brain. Once again, she looked at the clock, to realize that kids were already in the classroom with her.

_Shoot. Orihime, you got to focus! Stop getting sidetracked!_

She always sat at the back of the class, in the corner by the window. She felt secluded in that spot and it made her feel happy and comfortable. No one ever talked to her, or if they ever tried to, she'd ignore them. She would always feel bad about it. It's not that she hated them…

She just didn't know how to interact with them.

She lived alone, no one ever talked to her at her house. She would occasionally have dinner with her neighbour, who was an elderly woman. But, aside from that, she never had company. She would drown herself in her studies, not going out with friends, partying, drinking, and doing all the bad things. She hated all the classmates that talked about it. There was more to life than just partying and ignoring your studies.

Squeals had broken her from her thoughts.

"OHH~ There's Ichigo-kun!~ He's so handsome! If only he'd be my boyfriend!"

"You're kidding right? Isn't he still dating that Senna girl?"

"I think so. She's pretty but her attitude is horrible. What does he see in her?"

"I don't like her. She's so stuck up and rude. I wish someone would teach her a lesson. Either way, we can't do anything about it."

"Ooo~ Did you see Rukia-chan and Renji-kun? They're so adorable together!"

"Weren't they childhood friends?"

"Tatsuki-chan is so strong! I wonder if she'd teach Senna a lesson?"

"Keigo and Mizurio are pretty cute too. Though Keigo is a bit immature and Mizurio is always attached to his phone."

"Sado-kun is gorgeous too! His muscles and hair! I wish I had that!"

"You want muscles? Anyway, Uryu is pretty cute too. Though he's more of a dork."

"I would give anything to be friends with them!"

Rolling her eyes, Orihime looked out the window, annoyed. Every time girls and guys talked about the popular group, she'd feel sick to her stomach. Especially Senna. She hated that girl with a passion. Normally Orihime wouldn't hate someone, but Senna bullied her all throughout elementary and middle school. She even spread rumours that Orihime liked Ichigo. This, of course, made people ignore her because of how different she was.

There was only one person Orihime ever talked to in school.

"Oi, what's with that face woman?"

Looking up, gray eyes locked with blue. Shaking her head, she sat up straight. "

"Nothing, Grimmjow. Just people talking again. It's got nothing to do with me."

Looking at the girl, he frowned. Their friendship was quite weird. He was the only one to accept Orihime despite her having weird hair. Then again, he did too, but he always beat up everyone that would say something about it. But he was the one who protected her when she was being bullied.

He was like an older brother to her.

"Tch. Just ignore those people. The _**popular **_kids are lame. Everyone thinks they're some kind of royalty. You don't need fake friends like them."

Nodding she looked at him, a smile on her face. "Hai~ Thank you, Grimmjow."

Grumbling, he sat in his chair in front of her.

At that moment, she looked to the door where deep, brown eyes were staring at her. Electric shocks were sent down her spine, and she looked away, not before glaring at him.

She could feel his stare still on her, but she paid no attention to it.

She didn't care about **him. **About Ichigo Kurosaki.

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As though he was shocked, Ichigo tore his gaze from her and headed to his desk. When he was walking to the classroom, he casually greeted whoever talked to him.

But when he got to the door, he stopped.

His nemesis, Grimmjow, was talking to that **girl**. He couldn't remember her name, but he could never forget her face. Lots of people talked about her, for she was the Goddess of the school. If she was aware of it, she didn't show attention to it. She was smiling at him, and talking as though they were close.

Come to think of it, he'd only ever see her associate with Grimmjow and his girlfriend Nel. Anyone else, she would completely ignore. Ishida said she was in the crafts club with him, but she always preferred to work alone. She had such skill, he was amazed. He knew very little of her, for she didn't chat. She was always focused on her work, only stopping to ask Ishida questions.

Shaking his head, he looked back at her, only to see her staring out the window. A frown formed on his face before he turned his attention to the front. Everyone else was at their desks.

The bell rang, signalling that class started.

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_Are you just a dream?_

_Or my worst nightmare?_

* * *

_**A/N: So, this is actually a re-write of my VERY old story, Love from Afar. I decided to re-write it after a couple years. I took it down because I couldn't remember how I wanted it to go. So, I hope you guys are interested in this story!**_

_**There's some IchiSenna but they actually broke up. (It'll be explained in future chapters)**_

_**This IS ICHIHIME! Grimmjow is a brother figure to Orihime and I wanted him in a story!**_

_**Also, I'd love to have a beta for this story. If anyone is interested, please let me know !**_

_**~Tia-chan~**_


	2. Your annoying, yet you wont leave

I'm very pleased with the reviews I've gotten so far for this story! I'm glad people are giving it a chance, and I'm happy that I'm bringing it back from the dead. (Well, that's how I see it anyway)

I will try to make chapters longer. If I feel that it needs to be short, then I will stop at a certain point. But I don't want to disappoint any of my readers. So I will try my very best C:

(Don't own bleach)

* * *

_Between now and the time I've been around_

_You've never once looked my way_

_Now you're slowly starting to_

_And I'm starting to wonder "why?"_

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The class was relatively quiet, which was quite unusual. Ichigo's class was usually loud and cheery. Today, it was as though a hurricane came through and blew everything away. The test must have been that hard if everyone was still writing it.

Well, everyone except two people.

Ichigo looked up from his test to see Uryu at his desk, a book in his hands as he read quietly. He was the second person done. Normally this wouldn't shock him at all, for Uryu was always fast at writing tests and was the second smartest in their grade.

What shocked him was **who **finished **first.**

Turning his head, he was met with grey eyes. He didn't think she was looking right at him, but it was as though he couldn't look away. He was entranced by her eyes and he couldn't figure out why. Her face held a frown, something he'd never seen her wear. Normally, she'd have a small smile or a dreamy look. Today, however, it was as though she was annoyed and deep in thought. Her bangs were clipped to the side of her hair with turquoise hair clips, but it was as though they were in a staring contest.

He didn't think she was so smart either. He heard rumours that there was someone smarter than Uryu, but he didn't know who it was. When he saw her walk up to Ochi-sensei to hand in her test, he put two together and figured out she was the smartest person in the whole school.

_If she's so smart, why doesn't she have any friends?_

Sure, she did have hair that was a shade darker than his, but that can't be the only reason why she doesn't have anyone else. She hangs around with Grimmjow and Nel, and their hair is just as weird as theirs.

Turning back to his test, his eyes narrowed as he contemplated these thoughts.

_I'm going to figure out why._

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.

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_Your actions are very confusing._

_Stop making it hard for me to ignore you._

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Sighing, Orihime turned her head to the window. She felt exhausted after the intense stare down she had with Kurosaki Ichigo. She was trying so hard to read his eyes, for they say the eyes are the window to a person's soul. Yet, she couldn't understand the look in his hidden, brown orbs.

It was starting to irritate her.

She noticed him staring at her all class. Since it first started, he's been looking back at her when he thought no one was watching. She could feel his gaze while she was writing the test. Even when she went up to hand in her test, his gaze never left her back. She didn't like this unwanted attention. She never got it before from him, so why is he suddenly paying attention to her now?

Just then, a folded piece of paper came into her vision. Blinking, she unfolded it and read the note.

**_What did he want?_**

Recognizing it was Grimmjow's writing, she shook her head before picking up her pencil and replying.

_I have no idea. He's been staring at me all morning. It's really getting on my nerves._

Giving it back to Grimmjow, she sat at her desk, awaiting his reply. When she saw the paper being handed back to her again, she couldn't help but smile at the message.

**_Want me to beat him up?_**

Once again, she picked up her pencil and replied.

_No. He's not worth your time. It's nothing to worry about anyways. _

Giving him the paper once again, she was cut off by the sound of the bell. A sigh of relief came from her as she began to pack her bags. All the other students had their stuff packed and handed in their tests. Grimmjow was standing up, his backpack on his shoulder as he looked back at her.

"Oi, you comin'?"

She shook her head, "Go ahead Grimmjow. I don't want Nel getting mad again for being forgotten. I'll catch up with you two in a bit."

Nodding, he walked out of the classroom, slightly nudging Ichigo as he walked past.

"Oops. I'm sorry, I didn't see ya there berry-boy."

Growling, Ichigo glared at him, but didn't say a word. They were still in the classroom and he didn't want to get in trouble again for another useless fight that Grimmjow started. Sighing, he stood up, his bag in his hand as he handed in his test. Their teacher smiled at him before he walked out of the classroom.

"Oh, Inoue-san, may I speak with you for a moment?"

Smiling, Orihime walked up to her desk, not even paying attention to Ichigo's gaze when he heard their teacher call for her. Not wanting to be dubbed a "nosy-body" Ichigo left to hang out with his friends on the roof.

Realizing the door was shut, Orihime sighed. Ochi-sensei noticed this and inquired about it.

"How was your break Inoue-san?"

"Mmm.. It was good. I mostly just worked and studied. I didn't really go out anywhere."

"Once again, Inoue-san, I am amazed at your grades. They are even higher than Ishida-san's. On top of it, you're in the handicrafts club and taking Tae-Kwon-Do. It's amazing; you're juggling everything so well. I'm very proud of you. Though there is just one thing I'm worried about."

Not taking a chance at talking, she just sat there, watching her teacher's face as different emotions flickered about.

"I'm worried about your emotional state. You don't really talk to anyone else other than Grimmjow-kun and Nel-chan. Which, don't get me wrong, is nice to see. It's just Grimmjow isn't exactly the best role model in the school. I feel with your personality and grades, you can easily get along with anyone in the school."

Orihime sighed. "I already told you this before, Ochi-sensei. Grimmjow and Nel are the only two that actually associate with me. They don't judge me just because of my appearance. Everyone else in this school does. They don't know what I've been through and what I'm currently dealing with. Grimmjow and Nel are the only two that have supported me since day one. I understand your concern for me, Ochi-sensei. I really do. But, I'd rather not be friends with people like Kurosaki Ichigo. They are completely different from my personality and quite frankly, I don't want to deal with rumours all over again. I hate being in the spotlight, and if I associate with them, then I'll definitely be noticed. I'd rather just get by school as a normal student. Besides, I already get talked about because of my grades. I don't need to be fraternized over being friends with a complete jerk like him. I know I don't know him personally, but I do know his girlfriend, Senna. And I cannot stand her at all. We've been enemies since kindergarten and I'd rather keep her that way. The fact that he hangs around with people like her already makes his character look poor."

Taking her glasses off, Ochi-sensei cleaned them with her shirt before putting them on. A small smile filled her face. "I understand Inoue-san. I'm not forcing you to associate with new people. I never intended to make you feel as though you had to. All I'm asking you to do is to think about interacting with others. I know you're a very busy girl, but try to relax every once in a while. I feel you deserve that."

Standing up, Orihime pushed the chair in. "Can I please go? I'm going to be late for Tae-Kwon-Do."

Smiling, Ochi-sensei nodded. "Of course, Inoue-san. And please, come talk to me if you have any problems. I really enjoy our conversations."

Giving her teacher one last glance, she nodded before exiting the classroom.

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Standing at the closed door, Orihime almost slumped to the ground. If it hadn't been for the time, she would've just sat there and cried. _No. I won't allow for sadness. Feeling gloomy over something as trivial as this is unacceptable. I'm much stronger than that. _

The sound of laughter cut her from her thoughts as she saw Senna walking down the hallway, her two friends in tow. Glaring, she almost succeeded in getting away unnoticed, however, Senna had caught her a second before turning the corner.

"Oh look. If it isn't Orihime-chan, don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Yeah, like under a rock?" One of the other girls said as the other two giggled.

"Come now, Loly, don't be mean to the poor girl. Surely, she deserves to be treated as a princess. It's not her fault she comes from such a poor family."

Feeling sick to her stomach, Orihime glared before trying to walk from them. Senna, however, grabbed her sweater before she could leave.

"Ne, Orihime-chan, don't you know it's not nice to leave when others are trying to talk with you?"

Ripping her arm from Senna's grip, Orihime knocked her to the ground with force. Glaring with harsh, grey eyes, she snapped.

"It's also not nice picking on people who don't do anything to you either, _Senna-san._ If I were you, I'd go away, because I'm not in the mood to deal with your petty jealousy today."

Growling, Senna barked. "You _Bitch! _Just who do you think you're talking to? You do realize you're setting up your own funeral right? I'm about to show you who you're dealing with!"

Orihime was already in position to defend herself, but before Senna was able to land a blow, a hand grabbed hers, blocking the attack. Both their eyes widened when they looked to the side, only to see Kurosaki Ichigo staring down at them, a frown on his face.

"I-Ichi-kun!"

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Loly and Melony, seeing Ichigo in the middle of the fight, tried escaping but when they turned the corner, they ran into a hard, chiseled chest that only belonged to Grimmjow. Their eyes widened when they saw the fury in his blue eyes.

"Heh, where do you bitches think you're going? Helping Senna bully Orihime and then running away when things get physical? I bet you guys were going to tell on Orihime and get her in shit again when she did nothing."

Loly, having the guts to stand up to Grimmjow, glared, "Shut up you asshole! This has nothing to do with you! Why are you always defending her anyway?"

Sneering, he looked at them with eyes of pity. "What about you bitches? Surely, you only hang around with Senna because she's rich and popular. Without her, you'd be nothing. So, don't even pull that shit with me. As soon as you saw berry-boy, you guys started running. Now get out of my sight, bitch. I don't have time to deal with you today."

With that he pushed both girls to the floor, not even looking back at the damage he did. His only goal was to get Orihime out of this situation.

For Grimmjow didn't want Ichigo anywhere near her.

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Ichigo didn't even know what he was doing. He heard the fighting from down the hall. He knew how bad Senna could be when she was pissed off, but Orihime didn't even do anything to her. There were no physical signs of either girl being hurt, with that he breathed a sigh of relief. But now he put himself into a sticky situation.

His ex-girlfriend was looking at him, her eyes wide and frightful, while the other girl just looked at him, no emotion showed in her eyes.

Orihime, already bored of this situation, picked up her bag and began walking away.

"Wait! Where do you think you're going bitch?"

Glaring at Senna and Ichigo, she replied. "Anywhere but here. You're pathetic. Senna, stop trying to get into fights with me that you need your boyfriend or friends to bail you out of. If you're going to fight me seriously, just come at me one-on-one. Stop relying on others to be there for you."

Turning her gaze to Ichigo, her glare intensified. "And YOU! Stop watching me when I'm in class. I find it disturbing and really irritating. If you've got something to say, then tell it to my face. I hate when people stare at me. I don't even understand why you're defending your girlfriend when she deserves to get her ass kicked. Obviously you don't see how she treats people, because if I were you, I would've gotten rid of her ages ago. Just stop interfering with my life."

Grimmjow, sensing Orihime's anger was about to reach its limit, took her arm gently and guided her in front of him. He didn't want her to have another mental breakdown. "Come on, Hime. We gotta get your to practice."

Huffing in annoyance, she turned away and let Grimmjow guide her down the hallway, leaving two very stunned people behind.

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Both of them stood in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Ichigo's gaze was still on the two that just left, while Senna was looking up at him, trying to decipher his expression.

_Of course Orihime-chan would think we're still dating. We hang out all the time. Not to mention, she doesn't listen to rumours. But still… She had some nerve calling me a coward. Next time I see her I'll…_

"Senna…"

Ichigo's voice broke her from her thoughts. His eyes were still on her as she looked up at him.

"What happened between you two? Did you say anything to her?"

Not believing what she was hearing, she got angry. "Ichi-kun! Why would you assume I did anything? She's the one that started it!"

"I don't believe you."

She gasped as he started to walk away. She had no right to stop him, for they weren't even together anymore, and so she stood there as he walked away, tears running down her face.

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_Just please go away._

_If you continue to interfere with my life_

_I'll only end up crying unshed tears._

* * *

A/N: That's the second chapter. There will be introductions to everyone else in the next chapter.

Also, the italicized words are Orihime's thoughts. Just giving you guys a heads up now, they'll be there at the beginning and end of each chapter. Sometimes in the middle.

Orihime is a bit OOC. But this is just the rough part of her that is required. She will start to change in due time. But I don't blame her for being this way. And I'm making her tougher as well. Because I'm tired of people bashing Orihime and saying she is weak.

So as you can see, Orihime and Senna are the main enemies of this story. Ichigo and Grimmjow may be enemies too (Though it'll be for different reasons)

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! C:

~Tia-chan~


	3. Am I the one whose wrong?

_**Hello everyone! I am very happy with the amount of reviews/follows/favourites this story is getting so far. I know the last chapter gave some people mixed feelings, but trust me, there is a reason Hime sounded very hypocritical. And yes, she and Ichi did have a past. But that will be explained in later chapters. I'm glad that people do like this Hime though, because when I first wrote her, I wasn't too sure if people were going to like to adapt to her. But we will see the bubbly Hime in the story! She's not completely gone. It's like I said, I need her to be this way in order for the story to develop.**_

_**Anyway, without further ado, here's the next chapter!**_

* * *

_I'm trying to understand these feelings_

_But everything else is getting in the way_

_._

_._

_._

Orihime still didn't say anything as Grimmjow lightly dragged her across the school grounds. He could tell she was upset, for she usually talks when they walk together. He always knew Kurosaki was an idiot, but to get involved in that fight, especially when it was between Senna and Orihime, was the stupidest thing he's ever done.

_Correction, second stupidest thing he's ever done._ Grimmjow thought. Shaking his head, he kept his gaze forward as a blur of green appeared in his vision. Smirking at the sight of his girlfriend, he began to drag Orihime with a bit more force, though the girl wasn't even paying attention.

"Orihime-chan!"

Blinking from her thoughts, she looked up only to be facing Nel's chest as she hugged the girl tightly. Looking to the side, she saw Grimmjow had backed up a bit, keeping a hand in his pocket. His gaze met hers and she turned away, not wanting to see _that_ look.

"Oh, was it Senna again? I'm going to beat that girl! I bet no one even likes her but they're all too scared to say anything. I can't stand people who abuse their power! Don't worry Hime, we'll take care of her! Right, Grimmjow?"

Grunting, he began to start walking from them. Not wanting to be left behind, both girls ran to catch up with him. All three of them were lost in their own thoughts so the walk was rather quiet. They bid farewell to Orihime when they got to the dojo. It was only Grimmjow and Nel who began walking back.

"Nel, do you think I'm in the wrong?"

Blinking, she looked up at him. "In the wrong? For what?"

"Keeping Hime away from Kurosaki. She hates him so much, and yet every time he comes around, she's always different. He treated her like shit when they were younger, and he still does. Yet, it's only recently he's been showing interest in her again. I'm sure she realizes it too, and doesn't know what to do about it. So she chooses to lash out on him because of what happened. Senna is only making things worse, just by being in the picture. I was surprised when she got mad at both of them today. I know she's changed since going to the dojo, but I still feel that she's not doing as well as she should."

"Grimmjow…" Hearing the concern in his voice, Nel knew he was being serious. Grimmjow hardly ever talked about how he felt, so when the look in his eyes met with the concern of his tone, she knew he was actually lost.

Placing a hand on his arm, he looked at her. "We are not doing anything wrong. If Hime felt you were, she would've told you herself. I actually think Hime is happy that we're not letting Ichigo get close. In fact, I feel that she is just as confused as you are. And she doesn't know how to react because she's kept herself closed off for so long. She used to tell Ichigo everything when they were little. But after the incident, she flat out ignores him. I think he's finally starting to see just how shitty of a man he is for being that way. Until he can prove to Hime that he's worth her time, we will keep them apart. That's what friends are for. If Hime tells us to back off, then we will. But until that day, we will be loyal to her and keep her from danger."

Nodding, he smiled. "Yeah… We won't let anyone hurt the Princess. If they try to, they have to go through us first."

Grinning, Nel hugged her boyfriend. "So wipe that girly expression off your face. It doesn't suit you at all!"

Smirking, he leered at his girlfriend, "What girly expression?"

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Sighing, Ichigo headed for the roof. He wasn't even sure what to expect from anyone anymore. Nothing ever made sense. And he found himself even more confused than he was before.

_Thinking about this won't get me anywhere. But I don't know what do to._

"Oi, stop thinking so hard Strawberry, we can smell ya from here."

Frowning, he looked up to see Renji smirking at him. "Well, I'm not in the mood to deal with your shit Pineapple-head."

Rukia, sensing something happened, kicked Ichigo's shin.

"OW! What was that for midget?"

"You look like a depressed child. Want to tell us what happened?"

"Eugh, if it's because he misses Senna, I don't want to hear it." Renji complained.

"Something happened between Senna-san and Inoue-san." Chad inquired.

Uryu, Renji, and Rukia looked at Chad with wide eyes before looking at Ichigo, who frowned at the mention of Inoue.

"Again?! Senna, that bitch. Why does she always have to pick Inoue-san all the time? Doesn't she have anyone else to target?"

"Renji, this fight between the two has been happening since we were little. To be honest, I'm surprised that Inoue-san still puts up with it." Uryu commented as he adjusted his glasses.

"That's not what happened today."

All four of them looked at Ichigo before he sighed and explained the story.

"I was heading towards the roof from the cafeteria when I heard yelling. I recognized the voice as Loly's because she talks so freaking loud. But, then I heard Senna's. So I went to investigate. When I got there, she was about to hit that Inoue girl. Before I could even stop myself, I stopped Senna from throwing the first punch. But then after they recovered from shock, Inoue lashed at me."

Smacking Ichigo in the head, Rukia fumed. "Of course she would you idiot! You've been ignoring her since middle school and then you protect her from your ex? From what I'm getting from this story, Orihime doesn't know that you two broke up, so of course it would confuse her and piss her off if you protect her! Not to mention, you never showed interest in her until today; which is really stupid because we've known her for so long. It's only because of you that we've all stopped talking to her, and yes, I take responsibility for my own actions. But see, I still talk to Orihime from time to time. She actually has a conversation with me but with you? Good luck with that. After what you did to her, it doesn't surprise me that she would hate you."

Eyes wide, he mumbled. "What I did to her? What did I even do?"

Renji, sensing that Rukia was going to attack again, wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't want his girlfriend to get so worked up over the situation, and he most definitely didn't want her getting suspended for beating up Ichigo.

"If you can't remember, then you must be an even bigger idiot than we thought. But I wouldn't take too long trying to figure it out. Because the longer you take, the more she'll hate you." Renji said as he dragged Rukia from the three men.

Not knowing how he should take the information, Ichigo just looked down at the schoolyard. Every time he would think about the girl, he would get a weird feeling in his chest. Like he should know about something. She did look very familiar, and although Uryu told him that Inoue would never talk to him, Rukia said she'd talk to her.

_What's the difference though? There's something I'm missing. Why can't I figure it out?_

He was lost in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the bell ringing. Chad and Uryu gave the other a knowing look before heading down to class. Chad looked at his friend once more, not recognizing this side of him, before he left.

.

.

.

_Why does he show interest now? We never talked in middle school or at the beginning of high school. So why is he being so different out of nowhere?_

Orihime pondered these thoughts as she took her frustration out on the punching bag. Her teacher didn't show up for their practice so her class was told to do what they wanted. It was a free class, so she decided to punch away her frustrations on the punching bag. She didn't realize how frustrated she was as she continued to punch her third one.

"Whoa there, if you continue like this, you're going to need a fourth punching bag!"

Said girl whirled around to see a grinning Tatsuki, who had her hands on her hips.

"Arisawa-san! I didn't know you came to this dojo."

"Yup! I've been coming here since I was a kid. I've been training to become the strongest girl in the town! I haven't seen you here though. When did you start coming here?"

"Ano… I've been coming here since I was in middle school. Or I guess the summer of our last year in middle school? I've only been here for almost a year."

"Senna's giving you problems still?"

When Orihime didn't reply, Tatsuki knew she was. Senna loved picking on anyone who wasn't as rich as she was. She didn't dare to pick on Tatsuki though, because the last time she tried, she had knocked her out and since then, she's avoided conflict with her. Tatsuki knew all about the problems between Senna and Orihime. The biggest one happened to be Ichigo. Tatsuki knew Ichigo well enough to know that he was an idiot and didn't know about this problem.

"Want to tell me what happened today?"

Stopping herself from wanting to punch the bag, Orihime sighed. "Why are you interested to know what happened? You're that idiot's best friend. Surely he already told you by now."

"Actually, I wasn't in school today. So I didn't even know there was a fight. That's why I'm asking you to tell me. I never liked Senna. She's such a snob and she thinks she's all high and mighty because her family's rich. But the thing about her, she's all bark and no bite. She'll threaten to hurt you, but then she'll just use her mouth instead. She acts this way because her family ignores her. So she'll go to anyone to get attention."

Orihime was contemplating telling Tatsuki. Yes, they had been friends for a long time, but she had also been Ichigo's friend since they were kids. And after the incident, Orihime stopped talking to all her friends.

Then finally, she decided to tell her.

"I was on my way here, when Senna, Loly and Menoly showed up. I didn't even do anything, but they just started on me, as though I initiated the fight. Loly told me I should go hide under a rock, and Senna told her it wasn't my fault that I was born from a poor family. I didn't want to hear it so I started walking away. That's when Senna grabbed my sleeve. Something in me snapped and I shoved her to the ground. She was about to attack me when Kurosaki interfered. I was already irritated with him because I can feel him staring at my back. All of today, he's been watching me and it was driving me insane. He wouldn't look away. So, I snapped at him and told him that if he had something to say, just tell it to my face instead of always staring. Then Grimmjow saw the situation and pulled me away from it."

"Wait… _Ichigo_ interfered? Is he an idiot? It's bad enough he doesn't remember what happened years ago, then he went right ahead and meddled like that? I'm gonna kick his ass for doing that!"

Waving her hand in her face, Orihime replied, "Ano… It's okay, Arisawa-san. Grimmjow already took care of that. I'm pretty sure Nel did too. It's not something you have to worry about. Please don't go out of your way for my sake. You two are best friends. I don't want to get between you two. So please, don't worry about it."

"Orihime… I know we haven't been close since we were kids, but that doesn't mean I still don't care about you. I know it's hard for you to believe because we don't hang out like we used to, but I always have worried. I just didn't show it in school because of the image thing. I didn't want you to be attacked because you started to hang out with us. If there's one thing I want you to do, it's to not listen to what others think. Only listen to what your heart tells you because it knows best. I'm truly sorry that I don't talk to you in school."

Hearing the sincerity in Tatsuki's voice, Orihime hugged her. Normally she wouldn't hug people, but she felt that she owed Tatsuki. It was her own fault for cutting everyone else out of her life. They didn't deserve it, but it was the only way to protect her.

"Arigato… Tatsuki-chan."

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.

.

"Senna! Why didn't you go after Ichigo?"

"We're not together anymore, Loly. There's no point to chase something you can't have."

"Senna-chan! You two were so good together! It's a shame you guys broke up. But you deserve to be happy! Ichigo was your happiness. Why are you letting go of him?"

Sighing, Senna stared out the window of her car. She wasn't in the mood to drive so she asked her limo driver to pick her up. Loly and Menoly came with her after their run-in with Grimmjow.

"It's over. The "love" we had wasn't there anymore. It wasn't even love we had. It was only physical attraction. We only got together because we hated being lonely."

"It makes you wonder how that witch can handle being alone."

Senna didn't talk the rest of the way home; for she was too busy thinking.

_How can she do it with ease?_

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.

.

_I'm constantly thinking of ways to keep you away_

_But I'm starting to wonder if I'm in the wrong_

* * *

**A/N: So, Hime was friends with Rukia and everyone else. They did have their own group but an incident happened that cause her to drift away. It does have to do with Ichi. Senna is sort of involved in it, but it's mostly Ichi's doing.**

**Orihime's attitude will still be the same, but she will be slightly changing throughout each chapter.**

**Anyway, please R&R**

**~Tia-chan~**


	4. The Past Continues To Haunt Me

**Alrighty then, Here's the next chapter. I finally have a beta so hopefully there won't be so many mistakes. I'm still glad people are giving this a chance and not bashing it yet! A bit of the past will be revealed in this chapter so make sure you pay attention!**

* * *

_I'm constantly in the past_

_Trying to figure out where it all went wrong_

_._

_._

_._

_It was raining that day. She didn't think much about it, for she always loved the rain. It didn't occur to her that __**that**__ day would change her life forever._

_Happily skipping down the street in her trench coat, a young Orihime hummed her favorite song. Her hair was still long, though it was hidden underneath the big yellow hood. Her skirt swished with her body as she swung her arms up and down. She always felt this way when she went to meet up with Ichigo. He always made her feel special, like she was loved. After her Onii-chan died, she didn't think she'd be able to move on. It was because of him that she was able to live to see the next day. His funny looking scowl and his kind-hearted nature attracted her._

_Seeing a head of orange across the street, her eyes lit up as she ran towards her best friend._

"_Ichi-kun!"_

_Said boy turned around, with wide eyes as he saw her run towards him. She didn't look across the street and didn't see the car as it sped towards her… Noticing the lights, Orihime froze in the middle of the street; her legs wouldn't obey her mind to run._

"_Hime!"_

_She didn't hear Ichigo calling for her, nor did she feel him wrap his arms around her as he tried to push her out of the way. Before she blacked out, the only thing she heard was the sound of tires screeching._

_._

_._

_._

With a heavy sigh, Ichigo headed home. He didn't bother with trying to talk to Orihime or even deal with Senna. Both girls were too much for him and he felt _exhausted_. Running a hand through his hair, he gripped his scalp before releasing his hair as he stared at the kids playing in the park. A group of boys were kicking a soccer ball around while a young girl chased them around the field.

_'Look at them, so carefree and happy. I hope they stay that way.'_

Memories of him, Orihime, Rukia and Renji playing in the park invaded his mind.

"_Haha! Try and catch me Ichi-kun!"_

"_Oi! Be careful Hime!"_

_Giggles filled the air as Rukia and Orihime ran away from Ichigo and Renji. Both of them running and screaming in elation._

_Before Ichigo could catch her, Orihime crashed into Renji, knocking her onto her butt. Her eyes went wide before tears began to fill them. Trying to stifle her cries, she held her hands in front of her eyes and wailed. Cursing, Ichigo pushed Renji out of the way and got onto his knees._

"_Hey, are you okay Hime?"_

_Looking into warm, brown eyes, she nodded before smiling. Catching Ichigo off guard, she wrapped her small arms around his neck. A blush filled his cheeks as he moved his face to the side, glaring at Renji in the process._

"_Hai. Thank you, Ichi-kun."_

_Not trusting his voice, he awkwardly patted her back as a small smile curved at his lips. "Yeah, you're welcome."_

A frown replaced his smile as he looked at the ground, the scene bothering him. '_Where'd that memory come from?'_

Growling in frustration, he continued on his way home, not noticing the confused gazes of the children looking his way.

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.

.

_Am I really in the wrong for being this way? It's not Tatsuki-chan's fault for what happened. And it certainly wasn't anyone else's fault for it either. It was my entire fault._

Orihime pondered this as she stood in front of three gravestones. She felt compelled to be there, for reasons she couldn't name, and she couldn't help but let guilt envelope her. She was acting exactly like Senna does to her friends. And pushing them away for all those years certainly didn't help.

_'Then again, they're all moving on with their lives. It would be better this way if they didn't associate with me. I only bring misfortune to others. If I even tried to amend the friendships I broke, it would cause a lot of chaos within the entire school. Yet, Tatsuki doesn't seem to think that way. Is it only me who does?'_

Her eyes dimmed to a dark grey as she looked upon the thousands of bare gravestones. Her family's stand out with the flowers she brought almost every day. It was a daily ritual for her, and she couldn't help but come here on days she was immensely confused. Today was one of those days.

_'Onii-chan, should I really be treating them this way? Would Grimmjow be disappointed in me if I tried to repair my friendship with Ichigo? I'm torn, Onii-chan. What should I do?'_

"Ah, I knew I'd find you here."

Looking up from the gravestones, her eyes widened when she saw Rukia and Renji heading towards her.

"Kuchiki-san…. Abarai-kun…"

Rukia snorted. "No need for the formalities Orihime. We've known each other for years, yeah? Just because we don't talk in school doesn't mean you should treat us like strangers."

Blushing, she bowed. "Gomen! I wasn't sure if you guys hated me."

"Baka! Why would we hate you? It's not your fault **that** happened. We were never mad at you. So stop shouldering the guilt alone."

"Orihime-san, we understand why you cut us out of your life. But we're still here, trying to reach out for you. When will you let go of the past and just embrace the future? You're still dwelling in the past too much, and that's why a huge rift has been put between us. But don't treat us like this just because of Ichigo. What happened between him and you stays between you two. We want to be here for you, but you keep a wall around yourself."

Gathering her composure, she glared at Renji. "Don't even mention **his** name again. I can't stand him - at all. He has the nerve to forget what happened and go on **her **side. It's obvious who he cared about more, Renji-kun. Nothing will change that."

"Orihime, you do realize him and Senna broke up right?"

Her eyes widened before they narrowed. "Oh, and I'm just supposed to jump for joy at that news? So what if they broke up? It's the fact that she was chosen over me to begin with. He said he'd never choose and that he'd always protect me, not that I needed his protection to begin with. But then he goes and forgets about me and chooses that bitch! How do you expect me to feel Rukia?"

And that's when they saw it. They saw the loneliness that shone in her eyes as she yelled. The hurt of losing her best friend, the betrayal of him choosing the enemy over her, the anguish of trying so hard to move on without him but failing.

"If you felt that way Hime… Why didn't you tell us? We were still there for you. I was there when he said it, remember? How do you think I felt, see my two best friends fall apart from each other? Everyone tried reaching out to you, Hime, but you kept ignoring us and pushing us away. We were suffering just as much as you, so why didn't you tell us? We could've helped you with it."

"I didn't want to cause any more damage. I was the reason he got hurt in the first place. To still be part of the group would only hurt that much more. Knowing that I was the one who made him who he is today… hurts badly. I can't be around him anymore. That's why I'm around Grimmjow and Nel-chan. They actually let me stand up for myself. You saw how it was in middle school. He wouldn't even look at me! How do you think I'm supposed to feel seeing an empty shell of my best friend with my sworn enemy?!" Orihime snapped.

"Orihime…"

Huffing, she tried to keep the tears inside of her. She didn't want to look weak in front of anyone. Even if they used to be best friends, she didn't want anyone seeing this side of her. Turning away, she began walking away.

"This conversation is over. For your own good, I'd suggest staying away from me. I'm only going to hurt you more than I already have."

Rukia was about to say something but Renji's arm stopped her. She whipped her head to look at him, concern on her face. "Renji…"

"Don't worry about it Rukia. She's still hurting from the past. I don't think she's accepted what happened just yet. She'll come back to us. Just give her more time. As long as we don't give up on her, she'll realize what she's done and come back. We'll see the old Orihime soon; she's already starting to show signs of her old self…"

Turning her head back, her eyes softened as she watched her old best friend walk away.

.

.

.

_I'm not sure how long this façade will keep up._

_I'm hoping it'll be long enough to rid of you for good._

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.

Reaching her house, she unlocked the door before collapsing on the floor, the tears already falling down her face. If Grimmjow saw this, he'd give her a grand speech about how weak she was and how pathetic it was to cry over the past. Nel-chan understood her feelings better, which is why she vented more to her than Grimmjow. Around him, she always stood up for herself, keeping her composure. Every time she was away from him, the weak side of her showed and she let herself be vulnerable.

"_Oh, Orihime-chan. Why do you insist on doing this to yourself?"_

_Sniffling, she wailed. "Mommy!"_

"_My sweet girl, you're always so selfless. I hope you continue to be this way. There are too many bad people in this world. We need more kind people like you. There is nothing better than seeing people fill the world with happiness and brightness. Even if you make a mistake, it's okay once in a while. Just make sure you learn from them and make it up to the people you hurt. If people care about you, they will stay."_

_Nodding, she hugged her mom tight as she let sleep overtake her._

Sighing, she shook her head as she stood up; her body felt like lead. Dragging herself into her bedroom, she let herself collapse on her bed as the darkness overtook her.

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.

.

Arriving home from school, Ichigo placed his bag on the chair before a foot greeted him at the door. Grunting, he retaliated with a roundhouse kick before growling angrily, "Goddammit old man! Stop fucking kicking me when I get in the door!"

Sobbing, Isshin threw himself at the poster of their mom on the wall. "Wahh! My dear Masaki-chan, our son is so mean to me! When did he become such a rude punk?"

"Shut up old man! You disgrace men everywhere!"

A young girl with blonde hair popped her hair around the corner, a smile on her face. "Welcome home, Onii-chan! Dinner will be ready soon!"

"Ah, yeah, thank you Yuzu. Where's Karin?"

"She's at soccer practice. She said she'd be home soon. She's been preparing for the soccer tournament that's coming up soon. Are you going to be able to go Onii-chan? I know she doesn't say it, but she does miss spending time with you."

"What day is it?"

"It's this upcoming Saturday. They decided on a weekend so students from our school can attend. They even encourage family members to attend."

"I don't think I'm busy. Would she mind if I brought my friends?"

"She likes your friends so I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I think she'd be happier that you're coming to watch her."

Nodding, he headed to his room. "Alright. I'll tell everyone to come."

"Okay! Hurry up! The food is almost done!"

.

.

.

After dinner, Ichigo headed to his room. There was homework that needed to be done but he didn't care much for it. He just couldn't find himself to do it. He honestly tried sitting at his desk and looking at the work... But, his mind was distracted by what happened with Orihime that day.

_'Why am I even thinking about this? Did I ever know her?'_

Shaking his head, he flopped onto his stomach, staring at the clock. Giving up on trying to keep his eyes open, he decided to just let sleep take him.

.

.

.

"_Ichi-kun! Please! Please wake up!" A voice cried as his eyes remained shut._

_**'Who's calling out to me? Why does the voice sound so sad?'**_

_Trying his best to wake up, he groaned in pain as the light blinded him._

_Turning his head to the side, he was stunned at the sight of a small girl with auburn hair. Her face was pale as her grey eyes shone with sadness. He couldn't move. He wanted to reach out to her, to pat her head. But he couldn't remember who she was._

_**'There's a stranger in here crying for me? Why is she here? Who is she? What happened?'**_

_Hearing a gasp, he looked into her eyes. "Ichi-kun! Oh thank goodness you're alright!"_

_When he opened his mouth, he knew he said the wrong thing._

"_W-Who are you?"_

_._

_._

_._

His eyes shot open, sweat dripping down his face. Sitting up in bed, he placed his hand on his face, rubbing his cheek before sighing.

Blinking, he felt wetness on his face. '_Was I… Crying?'_

Remembering the dream he just had, his chest hurt at the sight of the little girl's face.

"Why did I have that dream? Was it even a dream? Or perhaps…."

Shaking his head, he laid back down as he rolled onto his side.

_'Was that… Inoue?'_

_._

_._

_._

_I still don't understand how this happened._

_But the more I think about it,_

_The more I keep running away._

_._

_._

_._

* * *

**A/N: That's part of the past people C: There's more to it that you'll see. Senna didn't appear in this chapter because well... I didn't feel like having her in here XD.**

**She'll appear again next chapter.**

**I hope this explains some of the questions my readers have.**

**Til' next time!**

**~Tia-chan~**


	5. Back To the Beginning

**Hello everyone! Here is chapter 5! Hope you enjoy! C:**

* * *

_I don't understand what you see in me._

_I'm the one that ruined your world._

_._

_._

_._

Sighing, Senna stared out the window of her room. The rain didn't let up and it only worsened her gloomy mood. Both her parents were away at meetings, Loly and Melony left half an hour ago, and everyone else in the house was doing what they wished. No one dared to disturb her, for they could tell their Mistress was in a horrible mood.

Her purple hair cascaded down her back as she laid her head on her knees. Her back was up against the wall and her yellow topaz eyes just stared outside, as if there was something staring back at her. She watched as two children ran in the rain, pushing and shoving each other and having … fun. She was an only child, so she didn't have to deal with sharing or bickering.

_'Tch, those fools... As if I'd be friends with them… But whatever, I'll let them think what they want. If they think I'm actually their friend, they're even more pathetic than I thought.'_

Yet, she felt pain in her chest at the thought. She wasn't supposed to feel pain. She caused it in others, whether it was through bullying or power. She didn't care how she did it, all she wanted to do was put people through misery.

She still didn't understand why though. Sure, she had both parents alive, she had an amazing boyfriend before they broke up, and she had everything everyone could possibly want.

_'So why do I still feel empty?'_

The image of the auburn haired girl she constantly picked on flashed in her mind. Growling, she felt rage flow through her blood at the thought of _**the**_ "Goddess".

_'What's so special about her? She doesn't have a family. She only hangs around with Grimmjow and that Nel girl. She abandoned all her friends and she ignores Ichi completely. Yet, why do I feel that she __**still**__has more than me?'_

Shaking her head, she sighed before standing up. She hated herself for even thinking about that girl, let alone comparing herself to her. Hearing her stomach rumble, she decided to find something to eat. Perhaps that's what made her think of these ridiculous thoughts.

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.

.

It was the following Saturday and like Ichigo promised, he showed up at Karin's soccer game. Rukia, Renji, Tatsuki and Chad showed up with him. Keigo and Mizuiro came later, saying Uryu didn't feel the need to come as he hated sports.

_'Tch, that bastard. He could still show support.'_

Spotting Isshin and Yuzu, Ichigo made his way through the crowd and sat down with them. Tatsuki and Chad sat behind them, with Rukia in the front as she was short. Renji stretched his body as he tried getting comfortable in his seat. He didn't hate sports per say, but he couldn't stand the seats. They never accommodated for his size and he always felt like a giant in them.

While everyone was watching the game, Ichigo couldn't get the dream out of his head. When he had time to think about other things, Orihime's face would show and it would make his heart ache. It wasn't that he had feelings towards her, in fact, he couldn't figure out why she hated him so much. Every time her crying face appeared, it would be replaced with the look she gave him when he saved her from Senna. He could never understand how that girl could give him two completely different looks.

_'Who was she to me? Were we close?'_

"Oi, isn't that Orihime-chan?"

The group turned to see said girl standing at the top of the benches. She seemed out of it but they could tell she was still wearing her usual frown. Her hand was on her hip but she didn't seem annoyed. Rather, she seemed in tune with the game that was happening.

Turning their heads, they all continued to watch the game, except for Ichigo, who opted on staring at Orihime the entire time.

Snapping her fingers, Tatsuki got Ichigo's attention and crossed her arms. "If you want to go talk with her, you can. Just make sure Karin can see you. She'd be upset if you left."

Not knowing what to say, he nodded before standing up. He quietly asked to be excused and got through the seats, trying to not block the way of the others watching.

Isshin blinked. "Where's Ichigo going?"

Smiling, Tatsuki replied, "To say hi to an old friend."

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.

.

Climbing up the stairs, Ichigo walked to where Orihime stood. He wasn't sure what made him go see her, for he hardly knew her. But something in his heart told him she wasn't as much of a stranger as she seemed to be. He also felt bad for what happened and wanted to apologize to her. Though he wasn't sure how that would turn out as planned because she seemed pretty pissed off at him.

_'What if she gets mad again? I'm not even good at apologizing to my friends, let alone a stranger. But… is she even a stranger?'_

"Hey…"

Orihime turned to look at him, her eyes showing indifference. Lately, she's been feeling immense guilt for not even attempting to be friends with him again, but she felt it was too hard for her. And she didn't want the school or anyone else to deal with her grief. Normally, she would've just walked away or ignored him. But there was something in the way he addressed her, that made her stay.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Ichigo turned his gaze to her, "I'm sorry. I'm not sure what I'm apologizing for, to be honest, but if I did anything to upset you, I didn't mean it. It's just…I-"

Her eyes widened when she heard his apology. Her heart raced while her mind froze. She didn't understand why they did, but she felt as though maybe, just maybe, he was starting to see...

Shaking her head, she gathered her composure, not wanting him to see her so vulnerable, so weak.

"There's nothing for you to apologize for. I don't care what you do. Just don't interfere with my personal business. If anything, you should be worrying more about Senna-san. She's more fragile than I am. One who constantly picks on others has been more damaged. Surely, you should be more kind to her."

Blinking in confusion, he replied. "Why would I be kind to her? She's not the one I've got my eyes on. And even if I did look at her, what we had isn't there anymore."

Before she could even reply, the crowd cheered as Karin's soccer team won the match. Orihime turned to look at the team, laughing happily and carrying the young Kurosaki on their shoulders.

"You should go. Your sister's looking for you. Don't concern yourself with me. I am perfectly able to take care of myself."

Without a single glance back, Orihime walked away from her old childhood friend, wondering if she meant to say that to him or to herself.

.

.

.

"Oi…"

After her run in with Ichigo, Orihime willed herself to walk home fast. She didn't want to pay attention to any of her thoughts or even the memory of Ichigo apologizing to her. If he hadn't interfered, he wouldn't have had to apologize in the first place.

"Oi…"

Though the more she thought about it, the more confused it made her. It literally seemed Ichigo was confused about a lot of things. And it looked as though he was fighting with himself, though she couldn't understand why.

"I said OI!"

Blinking, she looked up from the ground, only to see Grimmjow's eyes blazing with annoyance.

"I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes! The least you can do is say something, idiot."

Blushing from embarrassment, she bowed, "Gomen. I didn't mean to make you worry Grimmjow."

Blushing at how cute she looked, he turned his head away, not wanting her to see the embarrassment she was putting him through.

"I'm not worried, stupid. I just saw you talking with Kurosaki. What did he want?"

Looking anywhere but his furious gaze, she mumbled. "He apologized for what happened a few days ago."

"Tch, what an idiot... He shouldn't have interfered to begin with. You're strong. You can definitely take care of yourself."

Not saying anything, she nodded at his comment. Subconsciously, she began walking with him back to her house.

"Just…"

Looking at him, her eyes were filled with confusion.

"Just be careful, Princess. I know you guys had history. But… I'm anxious. I don't like him being near you. Considering it appears his amnesia hasn't gotten any better. He still doesn't look at you the way he used to. Shouldn't amnesia last a few years? So.. why does it seem that he still doesn't know who you are?"

Orihime wasn't sure if she should answer his questions or if Grimmjow was just asking them to himself. Yes, the doctor did say that it would only last a few years, but it's been almost six and yet nothing has changed.

"_Hahaha. Poor Hime-chan. It seems your Precious Ichi-kun doesn't remember you. How sad. It seems you never had a special place in his heart after all."_

Shaking the memory from her head, another one decided to replace it.

"_You will always be important to me, Hime. You're __**my **__Princess. I will always protect you from the evil dragons and little blue men!"_

Without realizing it, she began to cry. Not wanting to alert Grimmjow, she tried to muffle her sobs, but no to avail. The tears kept coming and no matter how hard she tried to stop it, they just wouldn't do so.

Strong, warm arms embraced her and she gasped when Grimmjow held her head to his chest. She had never seen this side of him, not even with Nel. And he always gave her speeches about crying being for the weak.

"It's okay to cry, Princess. Just let it all out."

Not knowing what else to do, she just leaned into his comfort, and took advantage of his kindness. She didn't pay attention to the anger that radiated off his form, instead just sobbing as though she hadn't cried all those years ago. Perhaps she wasn't just crying for **him**, but for her loving parents and her cheerful brother that always comforted her. Maybe she was even crying for running away from all her friends, when they didn't do anything wrong.

She felt so betrayed, but also confused. And her heart ached with emotions she didn't want to admit to. It killed her just to be in this position, but when Grimmjow uttered those words, her heart felt even more guilt for leaning on him. She had never seen him like this before, it was new but strange. Perhaps Nel was the reasoning for him being softer, but she didn't ponder on that thought.

She didn't want to admit to these feelings she began to feel.

Not yet.

.

.

.

After the soccer match, everyone separated to their respectful homes. Rukia and Renji had stayed with Ichigo, claiming they wanted to talk to him about Orihime. Tatsuki and the others went their own ways, not wanting to feel that Ichigo was being suffocated with people.

"So, how did it go?"

Sitting on his bed, he ran a hand through his hair before blowing out a puff of air from his mouth. "I'm not sure. She didn't say anything about not accepting my apology. Although… She did tell me to be nicer to Senna."

Rukia and Renji looked at each other before they looked at him, "Why would she say something like that?"

He shrugged. "She mentioned something about how Senna was more vulnerable and weaker than she was. She needed more protection or something like that. She didn't make any sense so I wasn't sure what else to say."

Scoffing, Renji replied. "Well, that's Orihime for you."

Glaring at her boyfriend, Rukia turned to speak, "You didn't try to stop her from leaving?"

"What do you want me to say Rukia? _'Oh, hey Orihime, sorry I forgot about you for all these years? Please forgive me because I'm such an idiot?'_ If I said something like that, she'd definitely never talk to me again."

"So, instead of just going up to her and explaining, you just pretended to have amnesia and you thought it would be better to forget about her by dating Senna?"

"I didn't pretend to have amnesia stupid midget! It's only been recently that I've been starting to remember her!" Ichigo snapped.

"You still should've just gone up to her and tried explaining yourself. You've probably devastated her for forgetting about her. You betrayed her Ichigo. Choosing Senna over her was the dumbest thing you've done, besides forgetting about her," Renji added and, by that point, Rukia was fuming.

Smacking Ichigo hard on the head, Rukia glared. "DO YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU'VE DONE!? YOU MESSED UP EVERYONE'S RELATIONSHIP WITH HER! SHE WON'T LOOK AT US THE SAME ANYMORE! HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL ICHIGO? I WAS THERE WHEN YOU LOOKED AT HER AND ASKED WHO SHE WAS! I WAS JUST AS DEVASTATED AS SHE WAS THAT YOU FORGOT ABOUT US! BUT YOU SOMEHOW REMEMBERED US FASTER THAN HER. AND YOU EVEN WENT BEHIND YOUR PROMISE AND STARTED DATING HER ENEMY!"

"I KNOW THAT!" He roared; his voice full of pain.

He was suffering just as bad. Not being able to remember who his best friend was. It hurt him more when he realized just how important she was to him. He had completely crushed her spirit as well as his own at his own words. Of course he would feel guilty.

But he didn't know what to do, and it confused him greatly. He wanted to make it up to her, buy her expensive things and lavish her with love. But he wasn't sure how to do that. Let alone if she would let him. Of course he told himself he would do it regardless of what she said. But he wasn't an idiot. He knew doing that would be only buying her happiness. He didn't want that and she would probably feel insulted if he even tried.

So he suffered all those years, watching over her from afar.

At least until Grimmjow came into the picture.

Sighing, Rukia glanced at Ichigo as he was beating himself up. "You're an idiot."

Without turning to acknowledging her, he nodded.

.

.

.

_Just give me a sign._

_And I will gladly take you back._

* * *

**A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this! :)**


	6. My Pain is Your Pain

**I'm going to try and shorten my Author's Notes at the beginning and end of my chapters. I feel it takes away from the story. Anyways, I hope this chapter satisfies you all C:**

* * *

_It's been a while_

_Since I could hold my head up high_

_._

_._

_._

_The little girl cried for the boy. But not just because he was hurt badly…_

_Because he forgot who his friends were._

_He forgot who she was..._

"_I'm sorry, Orihime-chan. It seems Ichigo has been diagnosed with amnesia. I'm not sure how far it goes, but he can't remember any of you."_

_Isshin looked at the devastated little girl. The other girl stood in the corner, her eyes hidden beneath black hair. Rukia had rushed over immediately after hearing about the accident. It seems that no one was severely hurt, though the guy was currently in jail for being under the influence._

_Orihime continued to cry at the thought of losing her best friend to something like amnesia._

**'**_**And it's my fault. If I had only looked before running…'**_

_Warm, strong arms wrapped around the small body, in an effort to comfort her. Isshin held the girl to his chest, letting her cry until there was nothing left. He couldn't blame the poor girl as Ichigo was her closest friend. He knew she was blaming herself for it, but there wasn't anything he could say that would make her think differently. It killed him to see her this way._

_His eyes flickered to Rukia, who stood there, thinking. She hadn't said a word since Orihime told her what happened. He knew she was strong, and that she was holding her emotions in. She was a proud Kuchiki who wouldn't cry in front of her friend. She was strong, and she had to prove that to everyone._

_Including herself._

_._

_._

_._

_It was a few days later that Ichigo woke up fully from the accident. All his friends were there, gathered at his bed side. While he couldn't put names to their faces, he knew they were familiar. The looks in their eyes stood out to him._

_The weirdest thing was that his amnesia only applied to his friends. He remembered his family easily, and it had shocked everyone greatly._

_All the doctors were talking about it with Isshin, but none of them could figure out a reason as to why he'd only forget his friends._

"_This is quite strange. I've never encountered a case of amnesia like this before."_

"_There's no logical explanation. And there's no way to determine how long it'll last."_

"_I'd say this could last for up to three years. But even then, that's a gamble. It could last much longer."_

_Isshin listened in, having nothing to say. This was his only son, and it was bad enough he forgot all his friends. He was relieved when Ichigo recognized him and his sisters. But it only made his heart ache even more for Orihime and the others. It wasn't anyone's fault it happened._

_But Orihime insisted on blaming herself._

_If Ichigo knew she was doing such a thing, he would've yelled at her for sure. But that's the thing…_

_He didn't know at all._

_And Isshin wasn't sure what hurt worse:_

_Being forgotten, or remembering everything alone._

_._

_._

_._

"_What should we do? It seems like Kurosaki doesn't remember any of us," a young Uryu said. All his friends were a group meeting of their own._

"_What else? We stay with him of course! I'm not going to let amnesia ruin my friendship with that idiot!" Rukia replied._

"_I'm sticking with him. If we let something like this get in the way of our friendship, then it'll be as if we never had one to begin with," Chad murmured; his arms folded neatly against his chest._

"_So it's been decided! All of us are going to help Ichigo remember us! We won't give up on him. Not now, not ever," Tatsuki chimed with a grin._

_The only quiet one was Orihime, who wasn't sure what to say._

_._

_._

_._

_A few months went by when Ichigo slowly began to remember everyone. The thing was he still didn't remember Orihime. Everyone was wondering why that was happening, seeing as Orihime was closer to him than anyone else. He protected her with his life, and yet he doesn't remember her? It didn't make sense to anyone._

_Until __**that**__ day, the day they went with Isshin to talk to Ishida's dad._

"_Hmm... This is quite interesting! He remembers everyone but Orihime-chan? I've never known such a thing to happen. But, I've been thinking about this for quite some time now. I think I can tell you all why he doesn't remember."_

"_Please Ishida-san! Why can't he remember Orihime?" Tatsuki asked with a pleading voice._

"_It appears his mind is blocking her out. He doesn't __**want**__ to remember her."_

_Everyone gasped. The girl who wasn't remembered didn't know how to react._

**'**_**Ichi doesn't want to remember me? I guess it would make sense. I am the one who made him lose his memory to begin with.'**_

"_Ishida-san, why doesn't he want to remember Orihime-chan?" Renji asked._

_Sighing, he adjusted his glasses. "It's not that he __**doesn't **__want to remember her, rather, he thinks she's dead."_

_All their eyes widened at the information. Before Tatsuki could attack Ishida's dad, Isshin grabbed her, holding her in his arms. It wasn't hard for him to keep her back, but he could feel the rage radiating from her body._

"_Why would he think she's dead? He's the one that pushed her out of the way! She was the very first person he saw! So how the hell can he think she's dead?"_

_Isshin looked down at the girl, a sad expression on his face. He looked up at Ryuken, who kept his expression guarded. He felt for the girl, who remained quiet the entire time._

_**'She definitely thinks it's her fault.'**_

"_Ichigo felt he did what he had to: protect Orihime-chan. However, he probably thought she was dead and this caused him to have the mindset of a "traumatic experience". Whenever a patient has one, they tend to block out the event to prevent them from re-living it. He probably still has it in his head that she's dead and that's why when he actually looks at her, he doesn't want to believe she's alive. To him, she's no longer alive."_

"_If that's the case, then we need to make him open his eyes and see that she's alive. Not only is this causing him pain, it's hurting Orihime-chan. It's not fair that she's the only one who has to suffer like this," Renji replied._

"_Renji, it's not that simple. Sadly, my father's right. As long as he's under the illusion that Orihime is dead, he will never remember her. I agree it isn't her fault for this happening, but Kurosaki is currently going through denial. He's ignoring her presence simply because he feels it would associate with pain. The pain of losing another person close to him. If he keeps it up, I don't think he'll ever remember Orihime."_

_Chad gently placed his hand on the little girl's shoulder. He could tell she was in deep thought, for she never contributed to the conversation. He could also tell Tatsuki was worried about her, just from the look she gave her._

_The little girl looked up at Chad, an unknown look in her eyes. He wasn't sure if he should grimace at the sight. She looked as though she had no soul._

_It was the day the Orihime they knew simply vanished, as if she no longer existed._

_._

_._

_._

_**A couple years later…**_

_The group was in Jr. High and Ichigo had returned to normal, talking with everyone as though nothing happened. Except for the girl he saved that night._

_He was ignoring her, keeping away from her and not even addressing her when she was with Tatsuki. It was as though she was invisible. And there was nothing any of them could do. Even when they all hung out together, he never once looked at her. He would talk with everyone else, but not once would he look at her._

_Orihime was used to it by now. She knew her friends did everything they could to help, but she just stayed away from them altogether. She felt she was an outsider, for everyone got the same attention._

_Except for her._

_Normally this would bother her, but she had grown up. She didn't care for being noticed anymore. She didn't go into a depression, but rather just gave up on the idea of their relationship ever going back to normal. All this happened when her parents died._

_Sighing, she walked home from school, not paying attention to her surroundings like usual. She felt someone shove her into the street, where a car was coming._

_Frozen with fear, she stayed put, the memory of what happened a few years prior flashed before her eyes, only this time, her best friend wouldn't save her._

_Closing her eyes, she waited for the impact but gasped when she felt a hand yank her from the road. Turning around her eyes met cobalt blue. The guy who saved her was taller than her, and almost the same height as Ichigo. His hair was a brighter blue and his eyes showed annoyance and fury._

"_Oi! Why would you just let yourself be hit by that damn driver?"_

_Blushing, she bowed several times. "Gomen! I didn't think to move."_

_Sighing, he looked at her. "Well, if you wanted to commit suicide, getting hit by a car isn't the way to go."_

_Casting her eyes to the ground, she whispered, "Hai."_

_Growling, he yanked her by the uniform, "What's with that sad look? There's no need for that crap! You never show your weak side to other people! That's how they take advantage of you!"_

_Her eyes looked down at him, noting he wore the same uniform as her, yet she had never noticed him before._

"_A-Ano… Do you go to the same school as me?"_

_Keeping his grip firm, he nodded. "Yeah, what's it to ya?"_

"_W-Well... I've never seen you around… Are you new?"_

"_Tch. Hell no! I've been in the same class as you for years now! Jeez, and here I thought you paid attention to the people around you."_

"_A-Ah… Arigato for saving me… err…"_

"_Grimmjow."_

_She blinked her eyes wide. "You're the one who picked on Kurosaki-kun all the time."_

_Smirking he leered at her, "Well, it's about time you remembered me, __**Princess**__."_

_Putting her down on the ground, he stood straight. "Hmm... well, it was nice talkin' to ya."_

_She couldn't keep her eyes off the guy who saved her. Even as he was walking away from her, she had a funny feeling it wouldn't be the last time she saw him._

_._

_._

_._

_I tried reaching out to you,_

_But I lost connection._

_._

_._

_._

_The next day, Orihime was heading to school. She was thinking about Grimmjow, and how he saved her from being hit by that car._

**'**_**But why though? What purpose would he have in saving me?'**_

_When she got to class, the sight made her sick._

_The guy who used to be her best friend was kissing her enemy. Not only did she blanch at the thought, she ran away from the classroom. Tatsuki, who also saw what happened, chased after her._

"_Hime! Please wait up!"_

_Turning around to face her friend, the tears fell down her cheeks. This made Tatsuki pause, her heart hurting as badly as Orihime's._

"_I-I can't do it anymore, Tatsuki-chan."_

_She blinked, "Do what anymore?"_

"_This! Pretending everything's okay when it's not. Keeping a smile on my face even though it kills me. To be forgotten by my best friend only to see him with the one person he said he'd protect me from. It hurts me deeply, it's like I've been betrayed! All because he thinks I'm dead! How am I supposed to feel? The rest of you don't have to live with this. He remembers all of you! He won't even look at me! It's like I'm invisible to him! No matter what I do, or what I say, he never acknowledges my presence!"_

_At this point, the tears came faster. She held her stomach, as though she was about to throw up. Before she could run, Senna appeared with a smirk on her face._

"_Hahaha! Poor Hime-chan. It seems your precious Ichi-kun doesn't remember you. How sad. It seems you never had a special place in his heart after all."_

_Growling, Tatsuki grabbed her by the uniform. "Don't get so cocky Senna. Just because you're dating him now doesn't mean you're higher than us. We're his best friends; we automatically get higher authority than you. Plus, the only reason you're dating him is because of the accident. If that didn't happen, there's no way he'd ever look at you. You're just a replacement."_

_Her eyes widen before she yanked herself from Tatsuki's grip. "What do you know? You're just jealous that Ichigo doesn't talk to you as much."_

_Tatsuki snorted. "Yeah, right. I'd never be jealous over something as petty as that. Do you even know who I am?"_

_Senna snarled, "Go to hell!"_

_A hand on her shoulder caused her to whip her head back, her eyes wide. She was met with a smirking Grimmjow._

_"Oi, I can hear you from down the hall. There's no reason to be so noisy. Especially so early in the morning. Plus, I can smell the jealousy rolling from you. I don't know why you reek of it, but you better cut back. No one likes a jealous bitch."_

_Before she could reply, Grimmjow brashly shoved her to the ground, causing both Tatsuki and Orihime to gasp. He turned to look at them, his eyes set on Orihime._

"_Was she bugging you?"_

_Not knowing what to say, she just nodded. She didn't want to upset Grimmjow with the wrong words, so she kept them to herself._

"_Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. Anytime she bugs you, tell me. I'll deal with her myself."_

_Walking up to her, he placed his hand on her head. He held a frown before walking away. Leaving both Tatsuki and Orihime confused._

_._

_._

_._

"_Gomen, Tatsuki-chan. I can't be around you guys anymore. It's too painful, and I know I'm being selfish, but I need to do this on my own. I've only been dragging you down with my horrible moods. So, out of the goodness of my heart, I'm letting our friendship go."_

_._

_._

_._

_And that was the day I decided,_

_I'll suffer alone, because I can't stand the thought of you guys suffering with me._


	7. I'm slowly starting to understand

_**I'm sorry for not updating this weekend guys! My weekend was busy with a birthday party and work. Plus drama (but I won't talk about that)**_

_**I'm glad you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Here is the next one!**_

* * *

_I try to make it through my life_

_But in my way, there's you…_

_._

_._

_._

After Grimmjow walked Orihime home, he decided to go somewhere he knew he shouldn't. He knew everyone had limits, and he was going to have to pass his.

Why he had decided to come to this place, he didn't know, but he knew he had to.

If not for himself, then for _**her**_.

Blowing out an irritated breath, he began knocking on the door in front of him.

He didn't have to wait long, much to his delight, as the door opened revealing a girl with short, black hair. Her violet eyes widened before they narrowed, a hint of danger lurked within their depths.

"What are **you** doing here?"

Frowning, he looked away. "I need your help."

Her eyebrow raised then, a look of curiosity on her face. "What do you need help with? Making Ichigo's life even harder?"

Shaking his head, he growled, "No. It's to make _**her**_ life better. Now will you help me or not?"

Opening the door fully, she acknowledged him to come in. "Don't let anyone see you. I already have issues with Senna."

Rolling his eyes, he entered the house, hoping his plan would be put into action.

.

.

.

Senna went to the mall that afternoon, her eyes sparkling and her hair glowing in the light. It didn't matter what anyone said, she'd gladly do everything on her own. She knew her and Ichigo's relationship wasn't exactly romantic. They hardly did anything together. There were no emotions involved. They just pretended to be in love when, actually, the whole thing was a sham. A lie.

For some reason, it bothered her now. Before, she would have never felt this way about it. However, there was currently a nagging feeling in the back of her mind. She always pushed it back, for she never wanted to think about it.

Her eyes searched the place, as though she was looking for something or _**someone**_. The feeling got worse when she saw the auburn haired girl, sitting alone, reading a book of some kind. She couldn't tell what language it was in, so she assumed it was English.

Before she could move, the girl looked over to her, her eyes devoid of all emotions. It sent a wave of emotions flowing through Senna – horrible emotions.

Even though Senna hated running away from anyone, she had decided at that moment to do so. She hated people who looked down at her with eyes of pity.

But what scared her even more was the fact that _**that**_ look wasn't showing.

.

.

.

Orihime turned away from the sight of Senna running. She didn't understand it at all, which made her feel a weird feeling.

_'Why do I even care?'_

Yes, that thought popped into her mind. She shouldn't care about Senna, not after all the shit she's been through because of her. Senna didn't understand her situation. She didn't even attempt to try and understand it either.

_'Therefore, I shouldn't have to either.'_

Turning to her book, she couldn't help but remember what happened between her and Grimmjow the day before.

.

.

.

"_Ne, Grimmjow?"_

_He looked at her, his eyes showing full attention._

"_Why did you save me from Senna years ago? It's not like you had to. No one held a gun to your head. What made you think to protect me?"_

_He looked away from her, eyes holding seriousness as well as curiosity. Scoffing, he replied, "My question is, why ask me this now? It's been years since that incident."_

"_Ah… Well, when you first started hanging with me, I was scared to ask you anything. I wasn't exactly sure if anything would set you off, so I avoided asking questions that I thought would annoy you."_

_Turning his lazy gaze to her, he grinned, "So what makes you think I'll answer that question now?"_

_Stopping, her gaze unwavering, she answered, "Because, __**now**__, I know you Grimmjow. And even though you still get annoyed with every little thing, you have changed. Even if you don't want to admit it."_

_His face sporting a frown, he looked up at the sky. The clouds had taken over the sun, making the evening seem darker._

"_Because, __**Princess, **__you are like the sun. Cheerful and bright. When we were little, you were always happy and laughing. Then, when your parents died, that smile was still there, but not as bright. And when I found out that Kurosaki didn't remember you, I knew it hurt you, but you just didn't want to show it. So I was determined to protect you. I know he used to when you guys were friends, but I decided to take on that role, because I knew Arisawa can't do it alone. Nel even agreed with it, because she knew I didn't have feelings for you romantically. That and she really likes you. But I think I'm in the wrong this time…"_

"_Grimmjow… I-"_

"_I'm in the wrong to keep you from being friends with him. I don't want you thinking that I became his replacement, because I know the feelings you have for him are quite different than what you feel for me. I wanted to protect you, and I still will. But if you want to be friends with him again, I won't stop you. I feel the reason you gave up on being friends with him is because I came into the picture. But I don't want that. Even though I hate that bastard, I still want you to be around him."_

_Sighing, she looked away from his heated gaze. "It's not like that Grimmjow. Yes, I used to love him immensely. But we were kids. I probably thought it was love when it was something else. Besides, I gave up on him because he didn't show any sign towards remembering who I was. It has been years since that incident and yet he still talks with Senna. I shouldn't even be mad because he's allowed to talk to whoever he wants."_

"_But you feel betrayed, because he said he would never leave you for her."_

"_And that's exactly what he did. I gave up being friends with everyone because I didn't want to drag them all down. None of them blame me, yet I feel incredibly selfish. I shouldn't have left them behind just because of him. But it hurt seeing him interact with everyone else and I was left in the dark. The others still want to be my friends, but I'm a coward for running away."_

_Bonking her on the head, he growled, "Stupid. That's not being a coward. Being a coward is ignoring this entire situation. But from what I'm hearing, you're fully aware of the entire thing. You're torn between wanting to be friends with them and staying away. Cowards don't face their problems head on, strong people do."_

"_If I was strong, I wouldn't have given up on Tatsuki-chan and everyone else. They were trying to help me get through it, but I think even they saw how hard it was to fix it."_

"_Idiot, stop putting yourself down. You still talk with them right?"_

_She nodded, afraid to say anything with him in his angry state._

"_Well, if they're still willing to talk with you, then start repairing the friendships. You see Arisawa more because you two go to the same dojo. And you guys still talk to each other, so that's a sign she hasn't given up. Start with her, and work your way up with everyone else. I hate seeing you sad, Princess. Please do the right thing and get your status back."_

"_But…. If I become friends with them again, it means you won't be around as much."_

"_Tch. Do you really think I'll let social status get between the two of us? You must be stupid to think that. I'll still be there for you, even when you're higher than everyone else."_

_Smiling for the first time that day, she hugged him. "Thank you… Grimmjow."_

_._

_._

_._

Grabbing her things, she headed out the doors of the mall, only to run into one of her old friends.

.

.

.

"Ishida-kun!"

.

.

.

Tatsuki sighed as she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was a hot Sunday, and she had been practicing the whole morning. It had been unusually warm and it only made her frown.

_'So much for autumn coming. That stupid reporter, always lying like usual.'_

She sat on the step, taking her lunch break. Closing her eyes, she lifted her face to the sky, letting the somewhat cool breeze hit. When she opened her eyes, the sight of orange was the first thing she saw.

"Ichigo… What are you doing here?"

He wasn't in his dojo clothing, rather opted to wear street clothes. His usual frown was there, though it wasn't as intense as before, which made Tatsuki think he was in a thinking mood. His posture was lazy like usual, but that's not what surprised her.

It was the look in his eyes, as though he was remembering something. She knew he wouldn't come to interrupt her if it wasn't important, but she still sat in her spot, not moving.

"Well, if you have something to ask me, sit down, moron. I don't want other people seeing you."

He snorted, "Is it because I have a bad reputation?"

"I don't care about that! It's just - you look stupid standing there with a frown that doesn't match your eyes."

Sitting down beside his best friend, he looked at the sky. He thought that coming here was a good idea, but now he was starting to doubt his decision.

"Tatsuki… What was Inoue to me?"

No doubt she was shocked. She knew he was starting to regain his memories of her, but she also knew he was distancing himself away from her. Balling her hands into fists, she sighed before looking at the trees, the wind blowing them gently.

"Orihime was your best friend. She was the one who always stood by you, and she was always there to put a smile on your face."

"So… then, why can't I remember her?"

"Ichigo… You got into a car accident. You two were supposed to hang out together that day, it was raining badly but you guys still hung out regardless. She saw you across the street, waiting for her, and without looking, she ran to meet up with you. But she didn't notice the car that was coming towards her. When she did, she stood in the middle of the street, frozen with fear. You decided to protect her, and pushed her away from the car, but you got hit instead. And when you finally came to… You forgot about her."

Suddenly, a yell that sounded familiar rang through his mind.

_**"Ichi-kun!"**_

His eyes widened at the fear in that voice. It sent a shock down his spine and it made him shudder.

"So how come I remembered everyone else but her?"

"Ishida's dad said it was because you thought she was dead. You were traumatized by the event and it caused you to forget entirely about her. We tried getting you to remember her, but nothing worked. And then... She stopped being friends with all of us."

He looked at her, surprise in his eyes. "Why?"

"She told me it was too painful. You two were so close, it makes Rukia and Renji pale in comparison. You guys were inseparable. It hurt her more when she saw you with Senna. You do know they're enemies right? And when we were younger, you promised you'd never leave Orihime. You told her you'd never choose Senna over her and then you went and did that. It hurt her just to be around us, Ichigo. You treated all of us like we were your friends and treated her as though she was nothing. I can't blame her for what she did. If I was in her shoes, I would've done the same thing."

So that would explain why Senna always acted that way when she was around. He didn't really notice her because he was concerned for his ex. But she always acted jealous and clingier when they were in class.

_'She thought I was going to leave her for Orihime. She thought I regained my memories'._

Sighing, he placed his hands in his hair, ruffling it. "So what am I supposed to do now? I don't think she'll forgive me at this point."

"Ichigo… You need to make up with her. I'm not forcing you to, if that's what you're thinking. I'm just really worried about her. Yes, she's been doing somewhat fine since Grimmjow came into the picture, but I can tell that even **he** can't take the pain away. That probably aggravates him more than anything. He's been taking over your role as her protector. Senna still picks on her, and I'm not always around to stop it. I know Orihime can defend herself, but I'm worried for her wellbeing. She's **our** best friend Ichigo. We need her back."

He could hear the raw pain in Tatsuki's voice. He could feel the sadness that emitted from her when she talked about Orihime. It would also explain the weird feeling in his chest whenever he thought about her. If he was going to get her back, he was going to do everything he could.

Starting tomorrow, Ichigo made a vow he'd get his best friend back.

.

.

.

_Even when the world's against me_

_I will try to get you back._

_I know the connection we had isn't completely gone._

* * *

**_A/N: I would like to thank everyone who has left reviews! If there's anything specific you want to see, let me know! I also noticed the favourites and follows are roughly the same! Thanks a lot!_**

**_I would also like to thank my Beta, Ichihime Kurosaki for taking time out of her schedule to fix the mistakes! If you guys have time, please thank her too! For without her, I wouldn't have less errors XD_**

_**I will try to update this weekend! No promises because I work all weekend. But I have no school on Monday due to a long weekend, so I should be able to update sometime soon! If not, it'll be done for sure next wednesday!**  
_

_**Ja ne~**_

_**Tia-chan~**_


	8. We Finally Reached Each Other

**Here's the next chapter! It's probably longer than the other ones, and I'm not sure if I'll do it justice. But here it is nonetheless.**

**SOOO Sorry for the delay! I'm working on the next chapter right now! So it won't be as much of a delay! I hope this chapter was worth the wait! It's the longest one yet!**

* * *

_I'm not sure where to start._

_It's hard to fix_

_What's been broken…_

_._

_._

_._

"_So let me get this straight. You came here, to my house, just to say that you want me to help you with Orihime and Ichigo?"_

_Nodding, Grimmjow's eyes never left hers. "That's right. You're closer to that idiot than anyone else. Surely, you'd have a better influence on him than I would."_

_Rukia raised her hand to her mouth, deep in thought. It was true that she was really close with him, but there wasn't much she could do. She had tried reaching out to Orihime so many times now; and, the only reason she hadn't given up was because she's her best friend. That and Renji had been there through the entire thing with them. Not to mention that Senna's attitude had been really pissing her off…_

"_If that's the approach you're going with, I'd try getting Tatsuki to help you. It may not look like it, but she's more forceful and patient than I am. She'd probably be better at helping you with this than me. But, what is your plan anyways, Grimmjow? Why are you doing this __**now**__ after all these years?"_

_Sighing, he looked away from the deep, purple orbs._

_"She's been showing signs of changing, midget. She's slowly becoming herself again. I've been doing my best to protect her, but it's not my place to do it. Not anymore. Kurosaki used to be the one to protect her from danger; I think it's time he took over that position again."_

_Blinking, she turned her eyes to the window, catching the birds flying and putting her mind at ease... When she first saw Grimmjow at her door, it made her feel uneasy, as though he was going to hurt her. But the look in his eyes made her reconsider that thought. There was anger but something else caught her by surprise. It was admitting defeat he felt for not being able to do his job right. If there was one thing Grimmjow hated more than losing, it was admitting that he lost._

"_So, what's your plan Grimmjow? What do you have in mind?"_

_Smirking, he turned his sharp gaze to Rukia. "Well, I was thinking of convincing the teachers to let us have a martial arts tournament. Obviously, there are restrictions and rules, but everyone in our gym class participates. It's only with our class, since it'd be easier that way. And well, I'll put it to you this way, if we can show that idiot just how much of a shitty friend he is, then this is the perfect opportunity… by having Orihime beat the shit out of him."_

_Her eyes widened before a smirk lifted at her lips, "You know what, Grimmjow? You're not as dumb as I thought."_

_._

_._

_._

Orihime had a weird feeling about today's gym class. For starters, it wasn't organized with boys and girls being separated. Rather, they were asked to have everyone play together. She knew for a fact that this never happened, not even when they had endurance runs. The other thing that tipped her off, well, it was the outfits they had to wear.

Usually, they were supposed to change into their own outfits from home. But today, they had to wear the ones the school provided for them. And if Orihime didn't know any better, she'd think they were having a martial arts tournament.

_'But why? Isn't that against the school rules? Is it only our class that's doing it? Something's not right'._

She turned her gaze to Grimmjow, who stood by her, already suited up for battle. If he was hiding something, she wasn't able to tell, for he wore his usual frown. It looked as though he didn't know anything either. He hadn't even voiced his thoughts as to what he thought was going on. And what she found really unusual was that he just listened to the teacher without arguing. Normally, he'd make a fuss about being told what to do. But today, he just nodded and got changed.

_'Why can't I read you, Grimmjow? What's changed?'_

Grimmjow could feel Orihime's stare. It wasn't hard to feel it, but he tuned himself out so he wouldn't respond to her. He knew she'd react like this, not knowing what to do about this predicament, and he didn't want her to suspect that he that he knew something about it.

After all, he was doing it for **her**.

If she found out, she'd probably try to kill him. As much as he loved seeing Orihime fight, dying wasn't on his list of things to do that day. And so, he watched with hidden eyes as the rest of their classmates headed towards them. He could also feel the teacher's stare but he decided to ignore that, not wanting to get mad at her since she agreed to let this happen.

"Ah, it's nice to see everyone in the proper attire. I suppose we should get started. Today, we're going to be having a martial arts tournament!"

A lot of people murmured to each other, worry in their voices.

"Ochi-sensei, is this even allowed?"

"Ordinarily, it's not. But we have strict rules that each person must follow to ensure that no one lands in the hospital. So, here are the rules: it's a timed event - only five minutes per round. It's singles, so no tag teaming on each other. Each person got a number at the start of class, and that will determine who you will be fighting. And only fists and feet are allowed, meaning no other body part can be used on your opponent. Whoever comes out at the top is the winner of the round. And finally, the last student standing gets to go home early today. Also, good sportsmanship is key principle here. So no spoil sports. Are there any questions?"

When no one said anything, Ochi nodded, "Good. Whoever's up first, get your butts up there."

Orihime looked down at her number and saw a big 4 was written on her paper. Whoever had 3 was her opponent. She frowned and tried to see who her opponent was. She hoped it wasn't Senna or any of her friends, though she had a feeling she would be fighting them eventually. She just didn't want to fight them right away. Her gaze swiftly went to Ichigo before turning away. She prayed to the Kami it wasn't him either. Grimmjow, seeing her gaze wander around the crowd, put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, relax. I can guarantee it's not any of the people you think. In fact, you'd be surprised as to who you're fighting."

Blinking, she looked at him, "You know who I'm fighting?"

He smirked. "Yup, and I bet once he finds out, he'll freak out and not even fight. Trust me when I say your victory will be easy."

Blowing out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, she turned from his gaze to the fight before them. She didn't pay attention to who was fighting, as it didn't concern her. She just wanted gym class to end already. After the whistle blew, she walked towards Ochi-sensei, preparing herself for the fight.

She walked into the ring; the left corner was her destination. She didn't look at who entered the ring, not really caring either way. She got herself ready into her usual battle pose, her eyes showing determination. Orihime blinked when Keigo fell to the floor with his nose spurting blood. She brought herself out of the pose, not believing what had just happened. Her face relayed disbelief when Ochi-sensei declared her the winner.

"Ah ~ the lovely Inoue-chan. She's so gorgeous standing like that."

The sound of the classes' laughter shook her from her thoughts as she looked at Grimmjow, who howled with laughter at Keigo's stupidity. Sighing, she exited the ring, dubious of how she won.

She hoped all her fights weren't like that…

.

.

.

The series of fights that came after her passed in a blur as she didn't even pay attention to them. Orihime only came out of her daze when Ochi-sensei called on her again to begin the second round of fighting. And unfortunately for her, she had been paired against Loly Aivirrne. The auburn-haired beauty figured that Loly had cheated her way to the second round but she chose to not voice her opinion. She could feel the rage emitting from the other female's body and it only made her frown.

_'Sheesh. There's no need for her to be so mad. It definitely won't help her win.'_

The whistle was blown and Loly lunged right away. Orihime, who was prepared for the attack, dodged and grabbed her wrist. Loly was surprised for a second before anger replaced it, causing her to use her free hand, which Orihime also stopped.

Growling, she stared down at Loly. "Give up. Your attacks are too predictable; anyone can easily counter them."

"Never!" Loly snapped. "I won't give in to a bitch like you!"

Before the words left her mouth, Orihime punched her in the face, sending her flying onto the mat on the other side of the ring. She tried to stand up, but Orihime's foot was on her back, pinning her to the ground.

"How do you feel now, Loly? Do you feel the fear and pain you put others through? You better stop struggling; it will only bring more pain onto yourself."

The whistle blew again – this time signaling the end of the match and Orihime's victory. Turning to walk out of the ring, Orihime wasn't even fazed as Loly lunged at her once more. She released a livid, infuriated, scream and reeled her fist back to hit Orihime as she was blindsided. Though before she could hit Orihime, the karate prodigy performed a round-house kick and sent the dark-haired teen flying. Menoly ran towards her sister, while everyone stared at Orihime with wide eyes. Grimmjow whistled while Nel cheered for her victory. She ignored the two gazes that remained on her back that came from a jealous girl and the other from a curious boy.

.

.

.

Soon, the third and final rounds had commenced and it was Grimmjow vs. Ichigo. This was the moment both had been waiting for, the exuberant feeling creeping up on them as time passed. Neither could hide their excitement as they both entered the ring, already in their poses.

Grimmjow knew he had to throw the fight, for this was part of his and Rukia's plan, but he didn't want to just throw it away. He wanted to fight and get some answers from Ichigo just before he gave in.

As soon as the whistle sounded, both hot-headed teens attacked the latter and wasted no time laying into one another.

Both were skilled in blocking and attacking, causing the class to go in an uproar, though Orihime paid little attention to the fight, as she didn't want to be like everyone else who was sucked into things like this.

"Oh wow! Look at Ichi-kun!~"

"He's so handsome. "

"Look at Grimmjow! He's so hot too!"

"Oh~ I wish I was dating either one!"

The voices from behind Orihime made her gag. Yes, it was true that they were both attractive, but it didn't mean the entire class had to go gaga over them. It irritated her to no end. Did people really have no sense of self-respect or pride? She wouldn't be caught drooling over the opposite sex like them. Not in a million years and why throw yourself at people who didn't even look your way? It was pointless and disgusted her…

Meanwhile, Ichigo and Grimmjow were going at it, their bodies moving in sync. Grimmjow laughed at the teen, as though he pitied him, and Ichigo felt slightly unsteady, like he was holding back. But for whose sake? He didn't know.

"Tch. What's wrong Berry-boy? Has the class gotten you nervous?"

He snorted, "Shut up Grimmjow. I don't pay attention to the girls in our class. I'm not interested in them."

His eyebrow rose. "Oh? You sure you can say that, Kurosaki? I know you're interested in Orihime. Every one of your friends has told me so."

"Why would they tell you that? And why would you care?"

"Who said I did? It's called _'I don't want her hurt by the same guy twice'_."

Catching Ichigo off guard with that comment, Grimmjow managed to shove him to the side. Both boys panted, but neither one showed any sign of defeat.

"Think about it, Kurosaki. You're the reason Orihime is who she is today. Because of what you did to her years ago, she changed. She's more distant to everyone and you crushed her spirit. It's obvious I would protect her from someone like you."

"Tch, you don't think I don't know that? How stupid do you think I am?" Sneaking a quick glance at the girl, he looked back at Grimmjow. "I plan on fixing our relationship. I didn't say it was going to be easy, and I don't plan on giving up. I'm willing to do _**anything**_ to make sure we're together again!"

That was when Grimmjow saw it. The feral spark in his eye; it matched, somewhat, the look Orihime had when she spoke about Ichigo. It was a look of pain and true loss – beyond that of just _**any**_ loved one. But almost as if your other half had been missing, although not quite. It was unique – just as their relationship had been… Unique to only them. Everyone could see it, but could never interpret it. Special. Maybe Ichigo was finally remembering again how important she'd been to him. It was about time… about damn time.

And caught in his thoughts, Grimmjow was defenseless as Ichigo kicked him square in the gut.

The whistle was blown and Ichigo walked off the mat.

Grimmjow wiped his mouth and smirked, _'You'd better be willing to __**beg**__ forgiveness.'_

.

.

.

The match was declared over, and Ichigo was the victor. This didn't shock anyone, but they did notice that Grimmjow didn't even bother to defend himself.

Rukia, who threw the match against Senna, knew why. Even Tatsuki knew why. But everyone else, was shocked at the sight.

_'Just two more rounds. I can't wait to see them fight. It'll be like old times.'_

When Grimmjow came down from the ring, Rukia approached him. "Thank you, Grimmjow."

He snorted. "Remember, I'm doing this for **her.** I'm not doing this for anyone else. If this works, she'll be friends with all of you in no time. Remember that. And please, don't give up on the Princess. All of you understand why she did what she did. But just remember, it was because of **him** she became that way. Hopefully this will open her eyes."

Nodding, she walked towards Ichigo, leaving Grimmjow behind.

.

.

.

The semi-finals had begun. There were only 4 people left, and it made everyone anxious. Everyone was shocked at how strong Orihime was, for she never showed this side in class. But they didn't think badly of her. Rather, they had grown a new level of respect for her. If they didn't know any better, they'd think she's stronger than Ichigo.

As Orihime entered the ring, Senna made her way opposite of her. She couldn't help but feel very anxious about this fight. Perhaps it was because they were able to finally settle things once and for all. And after the amount of suffering that Orihime had had to go through because of Senna, she was actually almost excited to release her pent up anger, but she also knew that she couldn't let her anger override her better judgment. She wouldn't allow it to cloud her perception during the fight.

But, whereas Orihime wasn't an idiot, Senna _**also**_ wasn't an idiot.

She was able to tell how strong Orihime was. And it shocked her greatly. If she didn't know better, she'd say that she was in martial arts.

Not that it mattered though. Today was the day she was going to show the entire class how strong she really was.

She was finally going to get her revenge on Orihime.

"Alright! This is the start of the semi-_finals_. We have Senna in this corner!" Ochi-sensei pointed to the right side of the ring. "And we have Orihime in this corner!" She gestured to the left. "Whoever wins this round advances to the finals! Let's begin!"

The whistle blew, and Senna sprang into action, charging at Orihime. '_Sheesh. Don't these girls ever learn? Lunging at your opponent is stupid.' _With quick reflexes, Orihime dodged out of the way, her movements lithe. She got into a protective stance, prepared for the next attack. She could hear Senna growl before she quickly attacked again. Once again, Orihime pivoted on her heel and deflected her opponent's strike, aggravating Senna further.

"Why don't you fight me like a real woman?"

With hooded eyes, Orihime swiftly tripped Senna with her foot before doing a backflip on her hand, her fist ready to strike. Senna used her arm to block, but it still hurt her greatly. Gritting her teeth, she slid and tripped Orihime before trying to use a roundhouse kick on her.

She smiled when she felt the foot hit, but her smile faded when she saw Orihime block the attack, anger in her eyes. Her eyes widened before she jumped out of the way, as Orihime sent her fist to her face. Bending onto her knee, Senna panted. She hadn't been to the dojo to train in a long time, and this caught her off guard. Before she could block, Orihime caught her chin with her knee, sending her flying into the side of the ring.

"You… bitch!"

Glaring at Senna, Orihime spoke, "I told you. When you're ready to come at me, then do it. Obviously you're hesitating. I don't fight people who can't defend themselves. It's obvious I'm much stronger than you. Why don't you just give up? This fight is pointless, and your anger and hatred towards me is just as pointless. Who are you trying to show up?"

"Tch. You wouldn't know anything! You're just some girl who was forgotten by her best friend who's trying to get revenge! And it's so stupid! Who are you fighting for?"

Before Senna could speak another word, Orihime punched her in the gut, causing her to lose her breath and fall to her knees.

"See, that's where you're wrong. I'm not fighting for revenge. In fact, I really don't care about that anymore. It's already happened, whatever I try to do won't turn back the clocks. It won't repair the damage that's been done. I've already accepted that he forgot about me. But you have **no** right to say or talk about him!"

With that, Orihime kicked Senna – knocking her out - just as the whistle blew.

.

.

.

Loly and Menoly rushed past Orihime to Senna's side after the whistle blew. They helped carry her to the nurse's office as she passed out. Orihime felt somewhat better, getting rid of her frustration on Senna. But it still didn't make her feel _**completely**_ better.

There was only one person left for her to fight.

Turning her gaze to Ichigo, she caught him looking back at her. Normally, this would've made her freeze up in shock, but she decided to assess him. She knew he was hiding his true power back, even when he was fighting Grimmjow.

Sighing, she turned away from him. '_This really won't get me anywhere. I need to be focused for this fight.'_

She could tell something was off with him. It was as though he wasn't even focused on his last fight, and it almost made him lose. But it was like something inside of him snapped, and he won by a landslide.

She knew at some point she'd have to face her old childhood friend. But she didn't think it'd be like this.

Just thinking about it made her chest clench in pain. Her head started to hurt but she shook it off. '_No. I can't give up now. Just one more fight, then I can go home early.'_

Walking to her spot in the ring, she saw Ichigo talk with Rukia and Tatsuki before he got into the ring. It was like they were talking about something, or perhaps _**someone**_.

_'Why do I even care? I shouldn't be thinking about this.'_

Quickly looking at Grimmjow and Nel, she felt her resolve harden. '_I can do this.'_

And before she knew it, the whistle blew signaling the start of the final match.

.

.

.

Like her other fights, Orihime was already on the defensive and in a protective position. When she looked at Ichigo, he just stood there, his hands in his pockets. His posture was lazy and he looked as though he wasn't going to even attack her. She could feel his gaze on her, which sent different emotions flitting through her body. It made her feel warm but dizzy at the same time.

_'Perhaps this is his strategy. Trying to weaken my concentration with his looks and then attack. Tch. It won't work on me.'_

With that, she was the first to lunge. She knew it was a rather stupid move on her part, but his look aggravated her. He had some hidden emotion in his eyes that she couldn't decipher. Part of her got her hopes up while the other part just got angry and annoyed.

Catching her hand with ease, he looked down at her face, her eyes widened. As much as she didn't want to, her head tilted up and she was paralyzed by his expression. She could feel the regret rolling off him and it shook her from her stupor. Growling, she jumped up and kicked him, landing a hit on his stomach.

It sent him flying, though he caught himself on the side.

"WHY AREN'T YOU ATTACKING? THIS IS A FIGHT! START TREATING IT LIKE YOU'RE IN A REAL FIGHT!"

She continued to assault him, and he continued to just take everything she gave to him. Everyone was shocked that he would just let her do it. But Rukia and Tatsuki knew the truth.

"_I don't think I can fight her guys."_

"_Well, at least try to defend at least. Otherwise Ochi-sensei will be mad. This is part of our participation marks."_

"_I hurt her so badly, Rukia. If I tried to actually fight her, I'd only hurt her more."_

_Tatsuki smacked him on the back of the head. "Baka! Have you seen her fighting? She's been kicking everyone's ass! Don't try to pull that crap on me! She's stronger than me idiot! We're in the same class for martial arts, I know how she fights. You don't have to worry about a little scratch. This might be the only way for you to get through to her. Don't blow it!"_

_Sighing, he knew Tatsuki was right. Turning to walk to the ring, he still couldn't shake the feeling off that something was going to go wrong._

Catching Orihime off guard, he caught her wrist, and pulled her into his chest. At this point, his body was starting to ache, but he didn't care. He just wanted to make it up to her.

"Beat me up if you want to. I deserve it. I treated you like shit these past few years and I wasn't around to protect you like I said I would. I let you be protected by someone who's almost as dangerous as me. I don't blame you for being angry with me… Hime." He whispered in her ear.

Twisting her body to look at him, her heart ached at his smoldering eyes. She could feel the anger and the sadness mix together, causing her to grit her teeth.

Shoving away from him, she glowered. "THAT'S ALL YOU CAN SAY?! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE THAT'S ALL YOU CAN THINK OF TO SAY?! YOU IDIOT!" she screamed as she punched him in the face.

He was knocked to the ground, causing everyone to gasp. Orihime panted as she tried to control her rage and frustration. She could feel the tears starting but she clenched her fists, trying to stop them. She kept her face to the ground, not wanting anyone to see this side of her.

Ichigo wiped his hand with his fist, before turning his gaze to her. She lunged at him, and continued to punch anywhere she could get her hands on. She tried attacking his chest more, wanting him to feel the pain she felt from all those years. His eyes widened when she looked up and he saw the tears falling from her eyes. The rage evident in her gray orbs.

He was so mesmerized by her eyes, he failed to notice his nose start to bleed, and before he could try to comfort her, the whistle blew. Orihime was announced the winner.

But he felt, that he was a winner as well.

.

.

.

_I could lie and say you don't have an effect on me_

_But it's clear as day_

_And I'm tired of running from you._

**A/N: Yup. I'm not good with fighting scenes. I apologize. Please be as critical as you'd like. I'd love the feedback!**

**Ja Ne~**

**Tia-chan**


	9. Should I Chase You?

Alright, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the late chapter again. My cat, Tria, was hit by a car on Monday and she died. So I apologize for my story update being delayed; I'm still wrapping my head around it.

Also, I had someone say that this story isn't in character. For one, it's AU, meaning the characters can easily change. Secondly, I'M the author. If you can't relate to the characters, I'm sorry for that, but this is my story and I'm making the characters this way. A lot of people love this story so I'm not going to let a review – a _**guest's **_review at that - deter me from finishing it. Not many people have complained about Orihime's character and from what I can see, everyone else is in character.

Anyways, here's the next chapter! :)

* * *

_It seems I don't have the will anymore…_

_Will you chase me?_

_._

_._

_._

After gym class ended, Orihime quickly ran to the girl's locker room to change. She could feel her heart race at the anger she released and she wasn't able to control her actions anymore.

'_If Ochi-sensei hadn't blown the whistle…'_

Shaking her head from the thought, she quickly grabbed her bag and bolted out of the room. She couldn't control her racing heart or the pace at which her breath came. And before she knew it, the tears had finally welled up in the corners of her eyes and she could do nothing to prevent them from falling.

She didn't care if people stared at her as she ran across the school yard. Their gazes held confusion but they didn't act on it, rather, they continued on their way to class.

Orihime hated herself for running away. She'd never been like this before, but she could feel the lingering burning impulse that shot through her at the sound of Ichigo's voice. She just wanted to go back to how they used to be: just Ichi and Hime… When there was nothing wrong, no qualms to deal with, besides Senna picking on her.

Wiping the tears from her eyes with her sleeve, Orihime continued to run down the street, just wanting to be at home already. She was tired of being in the view of everyone; sick of being seen as a mess.

Before she could make it to her door, she collapsed, and all she remembered seeing were warm, brown eyes.

.

.

.

When Ichigo saw Orihime collapse, he couldn't stop himself from running to her falling form. It was as though time slowed down for him and he couldn't control his actions. He knew he'd regret taking her back to his place. For one, his dad would see her in his arms and think he was the reason she fainted. Secondly, he'd freak out that Orihime was at their place and make a big stink about it. Thirdly, there was the possibility he'd wake her up.

The last thing he wanted was to be hit again.

But when he looked down at the girl in his arms, Ichigo knew the decision was made. And so, the orange-headed teen ran to his home, carrying the fallen princess he'd left behind all those years ago...

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.

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"You did a good thing, son. If you had left her on the ground, I'd say she would've been the one with head trauma instead of you."

Ichigo blinked at the seriousness in his father's voice. Arms crossed, he watched as Isshin examined the unconscious girl lying on the bed. It was a good thing the girls were still in class, for he didn't want to deal with their questions or their loud voices.

"…Though I am surprised, Ichigo." Isshin continued. "It took you this long to remember Orihime-chan. You scared me, son; I didn't think you'd forget the _**one**_ girl who was closest to you."

Turning his head to said girl, Ichigo could feel his eyes soften. He felt a sickening feeling in his gut at his dad's comment, but tried to not think about it. He knew he had made a huge mistake, one that affected the auburn-head beauty dearly. It caused a rift with everyone in their group and he happened to be responsible for it. Ichigo knew that just asking for forgiveness wasn't going to make things better; she had been more to him than that.

He was trying to think of ways to make it up to her, but lacked any ideas to do so.

"Dad… What do you think I should do?" he asked, curious about his father's opinion.

Ichigo wasn't expecting a silly answer to come from his dad's mouth, but the answer he was given wasn't something the scowling teen was prepared for.

"Leave her alone."

His eyes widened at the seriousness in Isshin's voice and he was about to open his mouth until his father's voice cut him off,

"Ichigo, she's not ready yet. Whatever happened today… it very emotional and stressful. It's the reason she collapsed. She's probably still confused and she hasn't had proper time to think everything over. I understand you want to make it up to her, but forcing yourself onto her won't make things better. It'll just make the drift between you two grow bigger. Orihime-chan probably feels forced, and that's something you don't want her to feel. Remember, she grew up without you. It's possible a lot has happened that you aren't aware of. It's going to take more than one day for you guys to return to normal, and there's a possibility that won't happen. You just got to give her time. Let her approach you on her own. Trust me, Ichigo; she won't stay like this forever."

Nodding, Ichigo looked sadly down at the girl once more before leaving the room. He knew there was something he had to take care of.

The sooner he did it, the better off he'd feel.

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.

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"_Ne, Orihime-chan, who do you think you're talking to? You know, no one's going to like you with hair like that!" Young Senna laughed as she insulted a defenseless, adolescent Orihime._

_The doe-eyed child cowered in fear, with those same unique eyes wide in terror, as she looked up at the girl standing in front of her. She had been merely playing by herself in the sandbox, minding her own business when Senna kicked the toy from her hand, causing Orihime to look into her deep, golden eyes._

_Orihime could see the jealousy and anger that surged through Senna; the only thing she couldn't understand was why it had to be directed at her. She had never approached or even talked to Senna since pre-school started. It was something she never understood._

"_Oi! Leave her alone!"_

_A high, albeit__'masculine'__, voice cut Orihime from her thoughts as she turned to the small boy who stood in front of her. The one thing she noticed was that his hair was a brighter shade than hers, and it stood up tall for the world to see. His deep, brown eyes held a serious expression, one filled with anger and something else she couldn't decipher._

"_Tch. Awe, isn't this cute? Kurosaki-kun is defending poor,__helpless__, Orihime-chan from the big, bad bully! Since when are you one to interfere with other fights? I've heard you always start them, not interfere in the middle of them."_

"_That's none of your business. At least I don't bully people for no reason; I actually stand up for people that need help! Unlike you, Senna, who always goes and picks on prettier people than yourself. The next time you try to pick on her, you'll have to answer to me!"_

_Glowering at Ichigo, Senna scoffed before she walked away, her head deep within her coat._

_Grumbling something under his breath, he turned to look at the small girl behind him, her eyes wide in shock. He didn't get a chance to look at the girl he was defending, and now that he was, he couldn't turn his gaze away from her. She was petite, shorter than him. Her eyes were a light gray, like baby dragons. Her hair was down to her waist, and it glimmered in the morning sun. It was a shade darker than his, but a color that would have people look at her like she was strange. Her nose was small, and her lips were parted, small clouds of breath could be seen in the morning air._

"_Are you okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"_

_Realizing the boy was talking to her, she shook her head and a smile graced her lips._

"_Un! I'm just fine! She just kicked my toy, that's all. Ne, w-why did you help me?"_

_Blinking, he looked away, "You don't seem like the type who would fight another person. You looked rather upset when she was talking down to you and you almost started crying. I don't stand by and let things like that happen."_

"_But you don't know me. For all you know, I might have started the fight."_

_A small smirk graced his lips. "Well, did you?"_

_Looking away with a tint of red on her cheeks, she pouted, "No. I didn't even say anything."_

"_See? There you go. All the more reason for me to step in. If you're the innocent one, you don't deserve to be picked on."_

_Standing up, Orihime dusted her dress before bowing. "Arigato…"_

_Sticking his hand out, he smiled, "Kurosaki Ichigo."_

_Giggling, she stuck her hand in his and began to shake it. "Inoue Orihime."_

"_You know, I have a feeling we'll become good friends, Orihime."_

_._

_._

_._

Groaning, Senna woke up from her sleep, the previous events forgotten. Turning her head, she saw Loly on the other bed in the nurse's office while Menoly sat and watched her.

"Menoly…?"

Turning to her friend, she stood up. "Senna! You're finally awake!"

Rubbing her eyes, she mumbled, "What happened?"

"You were fighting Orihime, remember? She won the fight, but it seems you fell unconscious after the whole thing went down. Loly was also knocked out. We managed to get you here before Loly collapsed. It seems she was in more pain than we thought."

Sitting up slowly, Senna clutched her head before looking down at her hand, her eyes downcast.

"Menoly, you knew… Didn't you?"

Tending to her best friend's injuries, she nodded. "I heard that Orihime took Martial Arts. I didn't know she was better than Kurosaki-san, though. It came as a shock to the entire class. I think they even have respect for her. But it would make sense… She _**was**_part of their group before the incident. It would only be a matter of time before she rejoined."

Growling, Senna spoke, "That little bitch, thinking she's better than us! We deserve to be part of that group, Menoly. Not her!"

"Senna… Do you even hear yourself talking?"

Blinking, she looked up at her friend, hurt in her eyes. "Are you taking her side now?"

Shaking her head, Menoly replied. "No. I'm not taking anyone's side. I'm not part of this. We may be best friends, Senna, but what we've been doing to Orihime is wrong. I've been trying to tell you this for years. She's never done anything to us. The jealousy you and Loly have felt towards her isn't healthy. And look where it got you two, lying in the nurse's office - injured."

"It doesn't matter what happened or how we got here! What matters is that she pays!" Senna sneered.

"For what? All she did was show us that we've been in the wrong all these years. She didn't tell us to actually fight her. You two decided to jump the gun and not even think about the consequences. Senna, these negative emotions you've been feeling is what's making people avoid you. Think about it: the only reason people didn't like Orihime is because they listened to you. But what you told them was lies. And to make Orihime hurt more, you dated her best friend and took advantage of his amnesia. You didn't feel anything for him; you only saw it as a way of getting revenge on a girl who never did anything to you."

"Menoly!" the violet-haired teen gasped.

"No, I'm tired of this, Senna. You and Loly are both letting jealousy control you. I'm done with trying to defend you guys. I want no part in anything that happens from this point."

With that, Menoly walked out of the Nurse's office, her pride intact.

.

.

.

Class had ended, which made Rukia and the others sigh in relief. After the whole gym fiasco, it took a while for the class to calm down. The only people to notice Grimmjow's odd behavior were Rukia, Renji, Chad, Uryu and Tatsuki. Everyone else just stayed clear of him in fear he'd rip them to shreds.

Grabbing her things, Rukia managed to catch up to Grimmjow, who was heading out of the building.

"Oi! Wait up!" she called out.

Not turning to look at who was running behind him, Grimmjow stood still, his backpack in hand.

"What do you want, Midget? Did the plan not meet up to your expectations?"

Shaking her head, she managed to catch her breath before speaking. "Actually, it went quite well, with your help. I'm very grateful, Grimmjow. I knew you didn't want to lose to Ichigo…"

"Tch… It doesn't matter. I lost to him years ago."

Her eyes wide at his comment, she looked at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"It didn't matter what I did, or how hard I tried. I could tell the Princess was hurting badly because he forgot about her. She was smiling and laughing, but it was forced. She hated feeling like a burden. She was constantly crying when she was alone, and she would try to hide it when I appeared. But I _**knew**_ she was always crying on the inside. Even when it looked as though she never cared, on the inside, she did. So much it hurt her. I took advantage of that pain she felt by making her into an emotionless person who thought crying was a sign of weakness."

Chuckling, he looked up at the sky, "Oh, the sick irony. I'm no better than that idiot who forgot about her. I didn't save her, and it was never my job to do so. It was always _**his**_."

"Grimmjow… Listen, you were never a replacement. If that's what you're thinking, I'm sure Orihime would agree with me when I say you did your best. Yes, your intentions may have been cruel, but it was also a way for you to cope with it. Orihime needed someone, and while we tried our best, it seems you did a much better job than us. It wasn't your job to _**be**_a replacement; rather, it was your job to be her shoulder. Yes, it's Ichigo's turn now, and hopefully he does it right this time. But you'll always be very special to her. I think that what's hurting Orihime right now, is whether she should let go, or keep going. We just have to be patient with her."

Nodding, he walked away from the petite woman with lots of thoughts floating in his brain.

.

.

.

_If I make it through the night,_

_My only wish…_

_Is to finally be with you_

* * *

A/N: Here it is! Thanks for reading~ please review! :)


	10. The Arms of Sorrow

**Haha, so I got yet another flame for this story, although I'm not sure if the first one really counts, and it just made me piss myself laughing. For starters, there are hardly any mistakes. All the names are accurate, so I have no idea what the person is talking about. And well, my Beta is amazing. Just because the characters are different from the Bleach verse doesn't mean they're not the same ones. Like Jesus people, if you don't like the story, don't read it. Simple as that. -_-**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

* * *

_Should I keep with the façade?_

_After all, it hasn't gotten me far._

_._

_._

_._

_The night Orihime's brother died, it was raining. It wasn't long after Ichigo was deemed an amnesiac that this event occurred, and it made Orihime wonder what she did to deserve the misery Kami had so unsparingly dished out to her…_

_She knew when her mom was alive that she didn't have much longer to live. The doctor's had said the cancer had gone to her lungs, and it was hard for her mom to breathe. Her dad did his best to keep their sanity, but even she knew her dad wouldn't survive the pain much longer. Though she didn't remember her parents much, Orihime still felt upset when Sora told her they both died. It seemed that her mom had difficulty breathing and her father rushed her to the ER to be with his wife, only to get into a car accident._

_Orihime didn't know what to think at the news her brother told her… so she did the only thing she could do._

_She cried… and cried… and cried._

_After the death of her parents, her brother had begun taking care of her. He just graduated high school the same year, but he took their deaths hard. As a result of his struggles both emotionally – being that he was still trying to cope with the death of his parents – and when it came to taking care of Orihime, their aunt had come to stay with them for a few years. But, her job required her to move back to Tokyo, leaving the two alone. It wasn't like they were completely broke. Her aunt had given them monthly checks in order to help them live. She would even send them a couple boxes of food each month, as she was very well off._

_Sora expressed his gratitude and was very thankful as he was busy with working to help his aunt and study for college. While Orihime was growing up, she would go over to Tatsuki's house when her brother was gone. Tatsuki's mom had offered to help take care of Orihime when he wasn't around, also._

_The elder Inoue sibling was reluctant at first, but when he saw how happy Orihime was, he couldn't say no._

_Sora's job would make him work during the day while his college courses forced him to study late into the night, thus leaving Orihime by herself. He'd never once heard Orihime complain because he wasn't around, and he'd always make it up to her by spending the weekends with her. But it was still hard for both of them._

_Then… came the night that changed__** everything**__._

_He had gotten out of school rather late, as his professor had decided to make them stay later than usual to finish a rather important lecture. On his way to pick up Orihime from the Arisawa household, a drunken man that had been stumbling down the sidewalk, seeming to amble nowhere but actually somewhere, clumsily sauntered up to where Sora was – walking up the sidewalk to the door of the Arisawa home. The man had been following Sora, intent on robbing him - unbeknownst to Sora, of course - but Sora didn't think anything of it as he'd seen people like this on a daily basis. It was nothing new to him; there were plenty of drunks stumbling out of bars at night, plenty of partygoers littering the streets at night… He took it all in a stride._

_Though, just as he was about to knock on the door, the man stabbed him, causing him to howl in pain._

_Tatsuki's mom, hearing the commotion, jumped out of bed. Her husband had the same reaction, only he had grabbed the baseball bat beside their bed._

_Looking to his wife, he whispered. "Go stay with the girls. I'll go see what's happening outside."_

_Nodding, she didn't think to do anything else and quickly ran to Tatsuki and Orihime. She knew her husband would be fine, and the problem would be solved. Quietly opening the door to the girls' room, she tiptoed in, being careful to not wake them up._

_It seemed like hours passed before the ambulance arrived, the cops shortly after. The drunken man was arrested for assault and the paramedics had tried to save Sora._

_But it was too late._

_It was all so confusing to Orihime; all she knew was that they were going to take Sora from her, the only person she had left. But then she started hearing things like 'dead', 'vital organs hit', and 'killed'… and she lost it. They wouldn't take him from her. He was all she had left._

_There was just no way he could be dead… right?_

_A crying Orihime ran to try and catch up with the ambulance, but before she could go any further, Tatsuki's dad held her back. He looked down at the crying girl in his arms and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the little girl. Who wouldn't?_

_Orihime struggled to break free of Arisawa-san's grip, just as he struggled to keep her retrained._

_"__**SORA!**__" a distraught and broken Orihime screamed._

_First she lost her parents, now her brother._

_Would anything go right with Orihime?_

_._

_._

_._

_Finally, the day of the funeral came. It had been a dull day to Orihime, and her friends tried to cheer her up, but nothing they did helped. She broke down again, and it caused all her friends to look at her with sad expressions. If only Ichigo had been there, he would've been able to help her._

_But they knew the truth._

_Tatsuki's parents didn't know about the situation, and she planned on keeping it that way. She didn't want to explain the situation to them, as it was rather complicated._

_"Hime!"_

_Rukia's head turned around to see Orihime's aunt running towards the small girl. Letting go of her best friend, she took a step back to allow her aunt to hug her._

_"Auntie!"_

_"Shhh… It's okay, Hime. Auntie's here now."_

_And together, they watched as Sora Inoue was put into the ground beside her parents._

_._

_._

_._

_The weeks that followed his funeral were a blur and before the Karakura gang knew it, school started again. It was hard to let go of the free time – the fun time – they had, but school was essential and important. It was hard on everyone, but it was especially hard on Orihime._

_Her best friend had forgotten her, her family had all died, and to top it off, she was alone. Completely alone. Her aunt had had to leave again, but this time, no one was there to care for Orihime._

_The lone Inoue stayed in the Arisawa home for a little over a month while her aunt figured out what could be for the auburn-headed child… In the end, the decision was to relocate Orihime to a nice neighborhood – not too far from Tatsuki – and have her live in a small flat, by herself. Her aunt would provide for her and she wouldn't have to move to Tokyo, so long as she did good in school._

_The days leading up to school had been extremely nerve-wracking for Orihime, however. She would be starting the new school year without her best friend by her side and Senna would probably jump at the opportunity to break Orihime even more and that's exactly what she did when Orihime walked into the classroom Monday morning…_

_"Well, would you look at that…? The cursed freak is here. I heard you lost all your family; it's pity. They were nice people. Too bad it wasn't the other way around though; maybe they were just tired of living with you every day. I wouldn't have blamed them, either. I'd get tired," Senna mockingly said loudly for the class, standing on top of her chair._

_Orihime couldn't and didn't even try to stop the flow of tears as she ran out of the classroom and around the corner…_

_Grimmjow had been walking around the campus when soft sounds, sounding distinctively like sniffling - like someone was trying to muffle their tears -, caught his attention. He drifted towards the sounds and rounded a corner to see his auburn-headed friend curled up in a ball, as if she completely wanted to disappear. The crying had been coming from her..._

_"Oi! What are you crying 'bout now?" he barked._

_Orihime lifted her head and hastily wiped away her tears, while trying to regulate her breathing._

_"A- ano… It's nothing," she whispered. "I just -"_

_"You just let that Senna bitch pick on you again. Listen, you need to stop crying over every damn thing that happens to you. It's a sign of weakness and makes you a target for people like her. We all go through hardships in life, but if we don't try to get over those obstacles, then what? We get pushed around and do what? Nothing? No, dammit!" Grimmjow lectured with a scowl prominent on his face and a spark in his eyes. "You're never going to get anywhere crying over every little thing that makes you sad. It may be blunt, but you need to learn how to pick yourself up of the ground and keep moving forward… Understand?"_

_Orihime clung to each and every one of his words as he spoke them… and that day she realized that maybe, just maybe, he was right. Things wouldn't be handed to her anymore. She had to work for them. She wouldn't like everything that happened, but she had to deal with it and take the obstacles, head on, as they came. Just like Sora used to tell her…_

_**"I take in all in a stride, Hime, and so should you. Just keep moving forward and look towards tomorrow. We'll be one step closer to a brighter future with each day that passes, I promise."**_

_"Hai… Grimmjow-kun."_

_._

_._

_._

_If you only knew..._


	11. Author's Note

Alrightly. I felt I should make this its **OWN** chapter to get my point across.

If anyone else has a problem with my story, **PLEASE** don't hesitate to PM me and discuss it with me. I can add in your ideas and take your feedback nicely.

For starters, I understand that everyone is entitled to their opinion. Am I in no way, shape, or form trying to change yours. If you don't like my story, I'm not going to force you to like it. That's not how I am and I'll never be that way.

Secondly, you said you were trying to give constructive criticism for my story, but all you did was bash my beta and I. That's not giving feedback, that's bullying my friend. And I for one do NOT tolerate that crap. Whether it's through a review, or even in RL, I don't care. I despise it.

How am I the childish one? You're the one who's leaving reviews as a "guest". Surely, you're the childish one for not having an account and PM'ing me about the issues you have with the story. If there's something you want to see, why won't you put it in the review? That's what feedback is.

My chapters aren't meant to be long. Why? Because I feel that shorter chapters have a deeper meaning. I know I can't write a novel, but I'm fine with that. I am currently in college and I have a job. I need to fit writing into my schedule. And I'm currently SICK, atm which makes things harder as I happen to be lazier, oh and I happen to get more irritated with ignorant people.

The number of reviews doesn't determine how good the story is. Never in my life as an author have I ever expected reviews for my stories. I write because I enjoy it. People who are kind enough to leave reviews are awesome and I appreciate that very much. But I don't write and expect people to take time and leave a comment. I have a lot of people who love this story. They may not review, but they are following this story, and that's good enough for me. I have over 50 favs and over 60 follows. I am not complaining in the slightest.

And finally, let me point out one more thing, I certainly don't care what you say about me. You don't even know who I am in RL, therefore you cannot judge. I am not a brat, and I actually work hard for what I have. I don't just expect people to like my things. And this is the first time I'm doing AU! So obviously, it's not going to be as well written as other AU. And just because I said that I'm the author and I can do what I want doesn't make me a brat. That's just personally how I feel. I really don't care if people flame this story. The only reason I'm replying like THIS is because you bashed me and my BETA, calling us stupid and horrible.

Since this is the only way for me to deal with this issue, I have no choice but to use this method.

Once the next chapter is done, it will replace this Author's note. I just wanted to deal with this situation the only way I can. I could be ignorant to your comments and let others bash you, but that's not my style. I thought I'd solve this problem head on.

If you still have an issue with me, make sure to PM me. As I don't want to see another negative comment and start a stupid war. I hate immaturity, and I hate fighting, so this is why I'm being civil and tolerant to your comments.


	12. I keep a close watch on my heart

**Alright, so thanks everyone for your lovely feedback to my author's note. I tried my best to refrain from swearing, as I tend to do it when I'm upset, and it succeeded. XD I hate swearing at people but if they annoy me that much, I can't help it. However, I am mature when I need to be. This was one of those situations. And this is the actual chapter! I hope you enjoy it :)**

**Also, I'm making a poll about stories, so please take a look at it!**

* * *

_Can we go back to how we used to be?  
I'm not even sure myself…_

_._

_._

_._

It had gotten dark rather fast, and it made Grimmjow worry. The seasons were in the middle of a change from fall to winter, and it only irritated him as he hated the cold. What worried him more was that Orihime had not called him like she said she would… He wondered if the Kurosaki brat was the reason why, though he didn't think about it too much.

Checking his cell phone, he frowned at the time.

_7:30 p.m._

The frown deepened when he saw no missed calls or texts from the girl. Sighing, he placed his phone back into his pocket and continued on his way. Worrying about her wouldn't get him anywhere. If she didn't message him by the end of the night, then he'd go looking for her.

Until then, he'd wait for her to call.

.

.

.

Sighing, Nel took a look at her surroundings. She had only been to Ichigo's place once and, though she wasn't directionally challenged, her memory wasn't the greatest either. She knew her boyfriend was worried about the auburn-headed princess, even more worried than she was.

And at times, Nel would even feel jealous. It seemed that he cared more about Orihime than her sometimes. But Nel would shake her head and remind herself he only looked after Orihime as a little sister. However, to anyone else, it would look like they were dating, due to their closeness – usually resulting in Nel becoming irritated.

Looking at the map on her phone, she frowned before looking up to see the sign reading '**Kurosaki Clinic'.** Feeling relief at finding the place, she walked into the building before she could change her mind.

She rang the bell they had at the front desk and waited patiently for someone to show up. A small girl with raven hair walked up to the desk and scowled at Nel, very similar to how her brother scowled at people at school. The resemblance was uncanny.

Putting on her happy face, Nel smiled at the girl.

"Hello! Is Orihime-chan here?"

.

.

.

Groaning, Orihime attempted to stretch her legs and arms, before opening her eyes. Her eyes felt like lead due to excessive crying and it took every ounce of her strength to even open them. The first thing she saw was the ceiling and vaguely wondered where she was. Attempting to sit up, she placed her arm around her abdomen, wincing a bit as she was in pain.

"Ah~ It's good to see you've come to."

Eyes widening, she whipped her head to the side – giving her whiplash – to see Isshin giving her his signature goofy grin. He was in his doctor's coat as he approached her with a clipboard. Orihime was left speechless. She couldn't form a single sentence as he placed his hand on her forehead, checking to see whether the fever she had went down.

"That's good! Don't worry, Orihime-chan! You had a fever and fainted but it seems to have gone down. Though as a doctor, I got to say, you have to take it easy. I can tell you've been under a lot of stress. I suppose my idiot son is majority of that stress, but don't let it weigh you down!" he chirped.

"Kurosaki-san… How'd I get here?" Orihime asked warily.

"That idiot son of mine found you by your apartment. He felt it was necessary to carry you here since you collapsed and wouldn't wake up." Isshin explained a bit too giddy-like.

Sitting beside her on the bed, he looked at her with a serious look, "Mind telling me what's been going on, Orihime-chan?"

She looked out the window, contemplating if she should disclose any information. Even when Ichigo forgot about her, Orihime would still come to see Isshin as he was her doctor. Yuzu and Karin would cheer her up – attempt to anyways - and keep her distracted from any negative thoughts she would have.

She noted it had been a while since she came to see Isshin and it made her feel guilty that she'd been missing her appointments. It's not that she wanted to; rather, she just couldn't handle the thought of seeing him again.

"There was a martial arts tournament today in class. I thought it was kind of a stupid idea but I couldn't really go against it since Ochi-sensei put time and effort into planning the activity. I didn't want everyone thinking I was being a poor sport, so I participated. I went up against Loly…. Senna… and Ichigo… But the truth is I just took my anger out on him. I know it wasn't his fault for getting amnesia to begin with… But… I still felt I should blame him for lying. These past few years have been rough on me… and I kept blaming him because I didn't want to acknowledge that it was my fault in the first place. I forced myself to forget about him after trying my hardest to get him to remember. And still, after all this time, I still feel… betrayed. And it was never his fault to begin with. It was mine, but I can't help but feel like he was disloyal to me… "

He could see the beginning of tears starting to form in her eyes and then fall from her grey orbs onto her lap. Covering her eyes with her fists, she continued.

"I thought I could replace him with Grimmjow-kun. I never asked him either, but it seemed Grimmjow-kun knew what I wanted and so he did it without hesitation. It seemed he would use my feelings as ammunition against Ichigo to make him feel bad for what happened. I never stopped it, nor did I acknowledge it in the slightest. I didn't even pay attention to Tatsuki-chan or Rukia-chan or the others, because I was a coward… For running away, I was a coward! I felt they didn't need me as a friend, so I just abandoned all of them, without a single glance…"

Sniffling, she hiccupped before she looked at Isshin, sorrow in her eyes. "But what hurts me the most is they still consider me their friend, their '_**best**_ _**friend'**_. Even though I treated them like garbage, even though I ran away from everything… They still see me as the Orihime they grew up with. They never even felt mad for what I did. Instead, they took the pain from it and kept on going. Something I wasn't able to do… It makes me seem so childish… and I _**hate**_ that part of me."

Placing his hand on her head, Isshin smiled at her before ruffling her hair.

"It seems to me, Orihime-chan, that you have a really good group of friends. It seems they really do love you if they're still with you to this day, despite everything that happened. They don't think you were selfish because they also acted that way when Ichigo lost his memories. Only, they showed it much differently than you. They haven't given up on you because they knew – and know - they wouldn't be true friends if they did. The incident shocked everyone, and though it had a much stronger effect on you, it hurt them all the same. But the reason they were able to move on was because they felt the need to help _**you**_ get your friend back. I don't know if you've seen it, but there's a rift between them and Ichigo still. I think most of it is because of Senna, though it's merely a hunch. However, I feel Ichigo is starting to see just how much of an idiot he's been all these years. You should try talking to him, Orihime-chan, but only when you're ready. Don't feel that I'm forcing you to do it right now. You've been patient with him, now it's his turn to be patient with you."

Her eyes widened before a small smile graced her lips. Handing her a tissue, he smiled. "Now, now - wipe those tears away Orihime-chan! I don't want to see you crying unless you're in immediate pain! And even then, I don't like seeing young girls cry. Also, if my idiot son should decide to randomly walk in, I wouldn't want him thinking I said something to you to make you cry!"

Giggling, she took the fabric from his hand, and wiped the tears from her eyes. She blew her nose into the tissue before throwing it into the small garbage bin beside her bed. At that moment, a knock on her door caused her to look up in panic, before the door opened, revealing Karin and Nel.

"N-Nel-chan?!"

"Oh, Orihime-chan! I was so worried about you; you never called me or Grimmjow today, so we didn't know where you were! Don't ever do that again!"

The green-haired girl embraced the auburn-headed teenager as a blush erupted from her cheeks. Feeling guilty, Orihime returned the hug, not knowing what else to say.

She let go of the girl before looking at Karin, who stood with her arms crossed. "She seemed really worried, though she tried hiding it behind a smile. Normally we don't let visitors see our patients this late but she was an exception."

Isshin nodded before smiling. "You're very considerate Karin."

Shrugging, she turned to walk out of the room, "Not really. I just don't like seeing others hurt."

Turning back to the two girls, Isshin's expression turned to a serious one. "I would like to keep you overnight, Orihime-chan. Your fever isn't completely gone and I don't want to take an unnecessary risks. I hope you understand. It's not for anyone else's benefit but yours. I'll even give you a doctor's note for tomorrow. I just don't want you going anywhere for the next 24 hours."

Though this news shocked Orihime, she also understood where he was coming from. He was just being her doctor and wanting to make sure she was healthy and okay. It's not normal for her to collapse under stress and it definitely isn't normal for her to have fevers.

"I understand, Kurosaki-san. But… can I just stay in here? I don't really want to go anywhere else…"

Knowing what she meant by that, he nodded with a smile on his face. "I'm not expecting you to join us for dinner. Though, I will make sure Yuzu brings you food. However, I must say that it's time for Nel-chan to go home. I need to take your temperature again and do a bit of an exam on you."

Hugging the girl one last time, Nel smiled at the girl. "Don't worry, Orihime-chan. I'll inform Grimmjow of this as soon as I leave. Or did you want to? I'm okay with doing it, but I understand if you want to tell him yourself."

Looking at the green-haired girl, she smiled. "It's okay, Nel-chan. I'll call him tonight. I'm sure he must be worried, although he'd never show it… Thank you for coming to visit me."

Nel nodded and looked at her friend one last time before leaving the room.

Isshin looked at Orihime, who had a sad smile on her face.

"Kurosaki-san, is it okay if I call Grimmjow-kun quickly? Just so he knows what's going on?"

Handing her the phone, he grinned. "Just make it quick, I'd like to get your temperature checked before you eat."

Nodding, she took the phone and began dialing his number. She didn't notice him leave the room, as he wanted to give her privacy, and waited for him to pick up.

"_Hello?" _an irritated voice grumbled on the other line.

"Grimmjow-kun! It's me!"

"_Princess? Where are you? What number are you calling from?"_

"I'm at the Kurosaki Clinic. Kurosaki-san has been taking care of me. It seems I have a bit of a fever." Orihime explained sheepishly.

"_What have I been telling you about taking care of yourself?! You shouldn't be overexerting yourself, Hime."_

"Gomen, Grimmjow-kun. Anyway, I don't have much time to chat. I just wanted to let you know I won't be going to school tomorrow. Kurosaki-san's orders."

"_Hmm…. I see. Did you want me to get your notes?" _he asked.

"If you wouldn't mind. I was going to fight with Kurosaki-san, but I haven't seen him for a check-up in a while, so I decided against it."

"_Alright then. Just get some sleep, Princess. I want to see you the next day, so make sure you get lots of rest!"_

Giggling, she replied, "Yes sir!"

Though she couldn't see him, she knew he was smirking at her comment. _"Alright, I suppose I should let you get some rest. Just watch yourself; you are close to __**him**__ after all."_

Knowing who he was referring to, she smiled. "Kurosaki-san won't let him come near me! Don't worry about it! Anyways, talk to you later!"

The sound of the phone hanging up made her sad, but she knew it was for the better. Grimmjow always meant well, but even she could tell by the tone in his voice that he was acting differently. This made her worry, though the sound of someone knocking cut her from her thoughts.

Isshin walked back in, with Yuzu in tow. A plate of food was in her hands as she walked up to Orihime with a huge grin on her face.

"Here you go, Orihime-chan! Just for you! I'll put it beside the bed and you can have it when Daddy is done with your exam."

Smiling at the girl, she was about to reply before Isshin cut her off.

"Alright, then, let's get this check-up done. I don't want to keep you waiting to eat. "

Placing his stethoscope on her chest, he leaned in to hear her heart beat. He told her to breathe in and out, and noted her heart beat was normal. Grabbing a thermometer, he placed in under her tongue, and placed his hand on her forehead. After a few seconds, he pulled it from her mouth gently, and looked at the reading.

"Hmm… It says your temperature is at 100 degrees. It's not overly bad, but I still want to make sure it goes down a bit. I can safely say that the rest of you is normal. You just have a small fever."

Seeing her eye her food, he chuckled before handing Orihime the plate.

"I'll leave you to your food. Let me know if you need anything."

Nodding, she began to dig into her food, completely unaware of how hungry she really was.

Isshin closed the door, before breathing a sigh of relief. The only thing he had to worry about now was his idiot son.

.

.

.

_I don't want to leave you behind…_

_But I need to focus on myself._


	13. My Memories Search for You

_**Alright, so a lot of people have been asking if Grimmjow is going to be leaving Orihime or if he has feelings towards her. The answer is NO! In fact, at the moment, Grimmjow is just being himself and showing a bit of ignorance towards her, as he doesn't know how to properly handle the situation. And he's in a relationship with Nel, so he has no feelings of the sort towards Orihime.**_

* * *

_If I try to see the brighter side,__  
__what will I find?_

_._

_._

_._

It had struck midnight yet Ichigo could not sleep. Part of his mind was saying it had to do with the girl who was currently sleeping under the same roof, while the other part was telling him he wasn't tired at all. He couldn't stop thinking of his junior high school years and how Tatsuki had always somehow managed to bring her around.

He thought Tatsuki would succeed in making him remember Orihime, but it seemed none of them were able to.

He wasn't completely stupid, though he had his fair share of moments. To date, he felt like a huge ass for not remembering his so-called best friend. It hurt him more to know that she was trying while he lived carefree, without even thinking of her.

Well, he couldn't deny never looking at her. For there was one day he remembered clearly and he wished he'd done something about it then.

_It was a rainy day in April; the wind blew harshly through the trees. It was to be expected as April was one of the rainiest months of the year. Though he remembered hating rainy days, it never deterred Ichigo from still having a good time with his friends. They had decided to go for a walk, despite the rain pelting their forms._

_There was nothing bothering them._

_Keigo was making smart comments and Mizurio trailed behind him, still texting on his phone. Chad was walking behind them, Ichigo at his side. Renji had stayed ahead of them like usual, preferring to pick on Keigo the most._

"_Ichi-kun! ~" a voice rang out behind them._

_Keigo gagged while Renji sported a frown at the girly voice. Both of them knew who it was and they didn't want to see her, however, they knew Ichigo was smiling at the voice. Neither one knew what made Ichigo even want to be with her, and at that point, even Ichigo wasn't too sure why Senna wanted to date him, but he knew one thing._

_It made him happy._

_If questioned now on whether or not dating Senna had made him happy, Ichigo would definitely say no. But at the time, he had been happy and uncaring of what his friends thought. Looking at his girlfriend, he gave her a smile before he let her drag him away from his friends, unaware of the looks on their faces._

_The sounds of laughter shook him from Senna's face as he looked up to see Tatsuki, Rukia and Orihime sitting on the cold, wet ground, laughing happily. It made him wonder why there was a pang in his chest at the sight of Orihime's face, but he shook his head. Senna's the one that mattered, for she was the only person to make him happy._

_Right?_

_Senna, sensing Ichigo was bothered, looked at the scene before them and frowned. She saw the auburn-haired girl that she hated with a passion. She always went out of her way to pick on her, to make her feel like she was nothing, yet there she was laughing as though there was nothing wrong in her life. Senna could feel the rage roll off Ichigo when she saw Grimmjow approach the three girls._

"_Let's go, Ichi."_

_Not letting him think twice about his thoughts, she pulled him away from the scene, feeling anger creep into her skin._

Sighing, he stood up from his bed and decided to head to the kitchen. He couldn't help but shake the feeling that engulfed his being.

The sooner he did something, the better.

.

.

.

Tatsuki sat on her windowsill, staring outside the open window. She just got off the phone with Uryū, contemplating their conversation they previously had. She knew Ichigo was starting to fully remember what happened with Orihime and he was going to stop at nothing to fix it.

Was that the smart thing to do?

She wanted to help the both of them, she truly did. But Tatsuki wasn't sure if what she was doing was right anymore.

Was she doing it for them, or was she doing it for herself?

Sighing, she placed her head on her knees, lost in thoughts.

"_You know, I wouldn't blame you for feeling the way you do, Tatsuki."_

"_Why can I not blame myself for this, Uryū? I feel I'm selfish for doing this."_

"_We cannot control how we feel. I, too, have lied about talking with Orihime. But I felt it was for the best. Telling Ichigo things he__**should**__know isn't our job. We are his friends, yes. But we also have a responsibility, and that is Orihime. Ichigo was a fool, if he had not been associated with Senna, he definitely would've remembered Orihime sooner. Senna has a bigger role in this than the rest of us. We've been supporting them through the entire situation, but now we need to lay back. If they want to be together again, it's up to them."_

"_Even if that's true Uryū, it doesn't help how I feel. I feel so helpless because they're supposed to be together! We were all supposed to go through this together! Yet, this accident just made it difficult on us. And they're suffering through it more than the rest of us."_

"_Tatsuki… You shouldn't bear the brunt of this guilt. It's not your fault. I understand that you want to help the both of them, but just by letting them do it on their own is helping in its own way. You'll understand what I mean. What I'm more worried about is Senna and Loly-san. It seems they might be planning revenge against Orihime, and we need to be alert at all times."_

_Knowing what Uryū meant, Tatsuki snapped out of her funk. "You're right. I'm sure they're up to no good again, and we need to be able to protect the both of them. We can't let anything stop the two of them from being friends again, or from them being together at all."_

"_Alright then, we should focus on this situation, Tatsuki. We can't change the past, but we__**can**__change the future. We can all be together again, but we have to make that path. It's the only way for it to happen."_

Tatsuki knew Uryū was right. If they wanted the two teens back together, they had to focus on the two causing the main problem. Senna and Loly were the two she worried about more, as Menoly hardly posed as a threat.

Lifting her head up, Tatsuki pumped her fists in the air before hardening her resolve.

.

.

.

Loly was enraged. No, furious was more like it. Pacing up and down the room, she growled at the memory of the argument she had just had with her sister. How dare Menoly turn her back on her?! They had been through everything together! They were a trio with Senna; she had never opposed against anything before! So why now?!

_"Menoly! Is what I heard true? Did you really stop being friends with Senna?!"_

_Staring at her sister with indifferent eyes, she nodded. "I'm done, Loly. Inoue-san is right. We had no right to bear a grudge against her. We only did what Senna told us to do; we were merely puppets. I'm tired of being confined. Friendships are not supposed to feel this painful, so I'm cutting all ties from her."_

_Loly stared incredulously at her sister._

_"HOW DARE YOU! How is that bitch right? We never followed Senna around. We hung out together as a group, a whole. She's jealous that we have such a strong bond with someone else! She's a lonely girl who doesn't have any friends!"_

_"Loly, do you hear yourself? These words are not yours! They're Senna's! She's been a bad influence on us from the beginning. I didn't want to oppose her because I was scared. But now, I don't have a reason to be. We have to start living by our own ways. We've been depending on Senna's popularity our whole life, because she's prettier than us. Her shadow has always stepped over our own. But now, ours is finally starting to come through! We can find better friends than her Loly! Let's change!"_

_Slapping her sister in the face, Loly growled. "I don't need you and I don't need friends! The only person I need is Senna! We can destroy that bitch and take Ichigo back from her. She won't get her best friend back and everyone will be devastated!"_

_Loly gasped when she felt Menoly's hand connect with her face, causing her to fall to the ground. Seeing her sister's tears made Loly's heart ache._

_"No. I'm done. I'm done with you! And I'm definitely done with Senna. I'm changing for the better, and you aren't going to stop me!"_

_With that, Loly was left on the floor as the door slammed behind her sister._

Remembering the fight ignited the rage in Loly's heart. Growling in rage, she grabbed her phone and dialed Senna's number. It was time to finally get rid of Orihime Inoue.

For good.

.

.

.

The rain wouldn't let up as the girl ran down the streets of Karakura. She didn't want to think about what happened a few hours prior, but she couldn't help but feel the rage in her heart grow. If she was going to save her sister from the hatred within, she was going to need help.

But she wasn't sure who to turn to.

Before she realized where she was, she was in front of a door, already knocking frantically.

The door opened to reveal an angry boy, his blue eyes flashing within the darkness. Before she could back down, she opened her mouth.

"Please help me! She's going to get hurt!"

.

.

.

Sighing, Ichigo couldn't stop feeling restless. Knowing everyone was asleep, he decided to sneak past them and enter the room Orihime was residing in. The moonlight seeped through the hole in the curtain as she slept peacefully, casting an unearthly glow on her. If he had never met her, he'd think she was an angel.

Noticing her fidget in her sleep, he moved slowly, to prevent her from waking up. His eyelids lowered as he continued to stare at her small form, wanting to do something. Anything.

To calm his racing heart, he sat down in the chair close to her bed, and watched. It was killing him that he couldn't touch her, feel her underneath his fingers, but he knew it would be crossing boundaries. Just being in this room was crossing those boundaries. He didn't want to do anything that would tempt him. When it came to her, every move he made had to be planned carefully otherwise he'd just be setting himself up for failure.

His heart began to calm down at the sight of her, and it made him more relieved. He hadn't felt such serenity since his mom was alive, and he'd never felt it when he was with Senna. It made him wonder what was so different about her. But he stopped his mind from treading through dangerous waters.

He wasn't ready to face such treacherously dangerous thoughts yet, and he knew she certainly wasn't.

So instead, he opted to just watch her sleep, completely oblivious to his father staring at them through the crack in the door.

.

.

.

_I find peace around you._

_Yet I also feel conflicted._

_How can I feel both at once?_


	14. I want to try, if You're Willing

**I figured I'd get a head start on this as I don't know if I'll have time to constantly update. I hope this chapter has more and keeps you guys satisfied. I'm trying to make the chapters longer, but I think I'm doomed to writing short ones. XD**

* * *

_In my head, I'm constantly running away.  
But in my heart, I never left._

_._

_._

_._

_The small girl sobbed as the rain continued to pelt her frail form. Her jacket was covered in rips due to the fact that she had run away from her bully, cutting through trees and bushes to escape Senna, her tormentor. She couldn't understand what she had done to deserve such treatment, but she tried to not think about it. The jacket her onii-chan, Sora, had bought for her birthday was ruined and she was ashamed. She didn't know what to tell him and it only made her cry that much harder._

_Not feeling the rain hit her anymore, she looked up and found herself to be staring into large, brown eyes. She slightly choked on her sob as she looked up at the boy who saved her countless times from the constant teasing and bullying. The umbrella he carried in his hands covered their small forms, giving them protection from the harsh weather behind them._

"_Hime… I finally found you."_

_Hearing those words, she jumped up into his arms, crying even more, knowing she made him worry. It seemed it was all she was good at, making others worry over her worthless being. _

_Holding her with one arm, Ichigo kept his eyes on the girl, noting the tears and scratches on her face and jacket._

"_Hime, did she do this to you?"_

_Shaking her head, she mumbled, "She chased me and I ran through the bushes in the park. I tripped over something and the tree branch caught my jacket… I'm sorry for making you worry, Ichi-kun."_

_Frowning at her apology, he held her face in his hand. "Baka, why would you apologize? Your brother's the one who told me you didn't come home! He's worried about you deeply! You don't need to apologize to me. If anything, I'm the one who should be apologizing to you because I couldn't protect you from her."_

_The last sentence caught her off-guard, her heart beat at a fast pace. Not knowing what else to do, she smiled at him, blinding him with her beauty._

"_Thank you… Ichigo."_

_His face turning red, he looked at the trees ahead of them and away from the Princess in his arms, "Tch. There's no need to thank me. But next time… I will protect you!"_

_._

_._

_._

Waking up from her sleep, Orihime put a hand to her face, shielding her eyes from the sun. Even though it was autumn, the sun shone brightly in the bright, clear sky. No traces of the storm from the previous night were there, except the small puddles that didn't dry.

Sitting up slowly, she rubbed her head before gluing her eyes to the outside world. The dream she had had taken her by surprise, for she hardly ever dreamed of _**him. **_

'_I suppose it makes sense though. After all, I am in __**his**__ house.'_

Sighing, she lifted her hand to her face, feeling traces of tear marks on her pale cheeks. When she pulled her hand from her face, she could see a glimmer of a tear on her finger, a frown formed on her lips.

'_I was… crying?'_

This confused her, for it was only a dream.

'_No… It was a dream of my past. Do I still feel this bitter towards him that I have to dream about the night he swore to protect me?' she thought depressingly. _

The answer was obvious, even to her. Of course she still felt bitter. She still felt betrayed, and hurt, but there wasn't anything she could do. What happened in the past stays in the past. And she left it there when she met Grimmjow.

He became the person who stayed with her, protecting her from Senna and Loly's threats. He was the one, along with Tatsuki, who taught her how to fight, how to protect herself from any person who came within a few feet of her.

Grimmjow wasn't a replacement for him; rather, he became the person Ichigo said he'd be. Orihime wasn't sure if she should laugh or cry at this thought. If Grimmjow ever felt this way, then surely she couldn't blame him for distancing himself from her now. Not when Ichigo was starting to slowly come around.

All these thoughts made her head spin, causing Orihime to fall back onto the bed. Her chest hurt painfully, her head felt like someone knocked her into a wall, and she felt like she was going to vomit.

Was this day going to get any worse?

When she heard the door open, she turned her head to see none other than Ichigo walking in with a scowl on his face. Her eyes widened and she could feel rage creep under her skin. Before either one could speak, she leaned over the bed and threw up things that weren't words.

.

.

.

Laughter could be heard from the gang as Ichigo explained what happened earlier. Feeling anger creep under his skin, he growled before shouting, "Stop laughing, dammit!"

Rukia, who had come to first, grinned coyly at Ichigo. "It can't be helped. She was so repulsed by your appearance that she threw up! Anyone would laugh at that! I didn't think you were _**that**_ ugly Ichigo. Apparently I was wrong."

"Shut up, midget! I am not ugly. Dad said she wasn't feeling well so I decided to check on her for him. It's not my fault she got sick dammit!"

"Rukia-chan does make a good point, Ichigo. If Inoue-san is that sickened and repulsed by you, then clearly she wants nothing to do with you. But then again, that's just my observation. It could be that she's just sick." Uryū replied in a nonchalant matter.

"Can everyone get off my back?!" Ichigo shouted. He was about to yell more at them but the sound of his cell phone cut him off.

Checking his phone, he saw his dad's number pop up before answering.

"What's up, Old man?"

"_Is that anyway to greet your father when he calls?! Oh Ichigo, you shame sons everywhere! I thought I raised you to be more polite! Where did I go wrong?"_

"Can you just get the point?! Lunch is almost over!"

"_Ah. Well, I suppose I can: Orihime-chan is missing."_

"WHAT?! What do you mean she's gone?!"

"_It's as simple as it sounds, Ichigo. She's not in the clinic everywhere! I checked her apartment to see if she went home. She didn't even leave a note either. I'm rather worried, son. She's not in the best conditions and as her doctor, I cannot allow her to be moving around."_

"Don't worry about it. I'll find her."

Isshin went silent for a few seconds before replying, "_You know she might start to yell at you again."_

"I know."

"_She might say she hates you and try to hit you."_

"I know."

Isshin was silent again before he sighed. "_Very well, I won't try to stop you. Just… Try not to stress her out even more. She's very ill right now from all the pressure and stress in her life. Please keep that in mind."_

Ichigo sighed as the line went dead. Pocketing his phone, he looked at his friends who kept their curious gazes on him.

"Where you going Ichigo?"

Looking at his friends, his eyes narrowed.

"I gotta go find someone."

.

.

.

Sitting on the bridge, Orihime sighed. She felt like shit; her headache wasn't going away nor was the pain in her chest from running off. She felt guilty for leaving Kurosaki-san without telling him where she was going, but she just wanted to be alone now. After everything that happened, she felt like she was suffocating.

This was her only place to hide.

She knew Isshin would come to her house first, hence why she opted going to a secluded place no one knew about.

Or so she thought.

"There you are."

Eyes widening, she turned her head to see Ichigo stand at the foot of the bridge. There was a big gap between them, and she was glad he got the hint. Mustering up the best glare she could, she kept her gaze on him, warning him not to take another step.

Ichigo, sensing she was going to run away, stayed at the foot of the bridge. He didn't want to add more stress onto her than he already did. But he also wanted to explain why he was in front of her.

"You know, I always came here when I needed to get away. No one ever knew this was where I hid, and I was thankful for it."

Walking slowly towards her, as though not to startle her, he kept his gaze forward as he approached her with his hand extended.

Her eyes went from his, to his outstretched hand, to the sad smile he had on his face. She could feel the pain and anger creep on her.

"Let's go back, Hime. Old man's waiting for you."

Slapping his hand away, she glared at him.

"Why should I go with you?" she hissed. "Why are you even here?! Did the events that happened this morning not deter you at all? Obviously I ran away because I don't want to be near you."

Sighing, he looked at her, "How is that fair to the old man? He did nothing but take you in and care for you when you weren't feeling well."

"YOU TOOK ME THERE!" she screamed at him.

"YOU COLLAPSED OUTSIDE YOUR APARTMENT! I'M NOT THAT SELFISH OR INSENSITIVE TO LEAVE SOMEONE IN PAIN!"

"THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME WHEN ONII-CHAN DIED?"

Shocked by her words, he looked at her in disbelief.

"Sora… died?"

At this point, tears fell from her gray eyes.

"He… he died years ago… Around the time of your accident."

Keeping his gaze on the girl in front of him, his resolve hardened.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm supposed to tell you when you didn't know who I was?! Do you know the pain and suffering I went through to try to get you to remember? Tatsuki-chan and everyone else tried helping me, but nothing worked. Then, Ishida-kun's dad told us something that made us lose all hope."

Sensing she was going to continue, Ichigo opted to remain silent. She was starting to open up, and he wasn't about to let her stop now.

Wiping her tears away stubbornly, she continued.

"He said the reason you didn't remember me was because you thought I died in the accident. He said you didn't want to remember me because when you saved me, you assumed I died and that you didn't get to me in time. He figured this out after a few months went by with no progress. I didn't want Tatsuki-chan and the others to suffer with me, so I left. I ran away because I didn't want to make them choose between me and you. I could tell it was hard for them to be friends with both of us."

Looking at him with a look of anger she inquired. "Well, aren't you happy? You got everything you want."

Feeling the anger in his chest, he growled.

"No, I didn't get everything. It may seem like it to everyone else because I'm this popular guy who has good looks, but I don't want people thinking that. I want people to see me for whom I really am, and not like me just because I look good. I don't care if people talk about me, or my friends."

Walking towards her, he grabbed her wrists lightly, keeping her eyes on him "I want us to be friends again… Hime, I'm not expecting you to say yes right away, in fact, I'm confident you'll say no. But that doesn't mean I won't try. I was us to start all over, and for us to be in each other's lives again. Just… Please don't give up on that."

"What makes you so sure I want to be friends with you?"

"I didn't realize it up until yesterday, but you were always around in middle school. Even when I was dating Senna, you still appeared in my mind. It took me until now to put the two together and remember you were my best friend. It's one of the reasons I broke up with Senna. I could never understand why my heart ached when I saw you with Grimmjow and the others, yet you would never come near me."

Getting on his knees, he looked into her eyes.

"Please… Hime. Give me one more chance."

To say she was speechless is an understatement. She didn't want to let him back into her life so suddenly, for she wasn't sure if she could trust his words. But the fire in his eyes spoke volumes, and she felt herself starting to cave in. She could feel her face heat up, and she wasn't sure if it was the fever talking.

Composing herself, she looked away from his puppy-dog eyes,

"If… we're going to be friends again… I want to keep in a secret for now."

Seeing his eyes give her a questioning glance, she continued.

"I just don't want to deal with that in school now… It's too much, and I wouldn't want the extra stress of dealing with girls asking me about you. I'm trying to get by school without drawing attention to myself, and being friends with you would do the opposite. So if we can, I want to try this without causing unwanted drama."

Grinning like a schoolboy, he bowed his head.

"Anything for the Princess."

Before she could jerk her hand away, he brought her hand to his lips, causing Orihime to turn red.

"KYAAA~ DON'T TOUCH ME!"

That was the only warning Ichigo got before a hand connected to his face, causing him to laugh like a maniac. Orihime was growling and glaring at this point as she brought her hand to her chest.

"You're something else, Hime."

Huffing, she began walking past him, heading towards the clinic.

"I'm leaving!"

And like a grinning schoolboy, he followed behind her.

.

.

.

Grimmjow and Nel were not amused. They didn't expect Menoly to be at his door, let alone talking to them about Loly's plan to ruin Orihime.

"So let me get this straight. That crazy bitch sister of yours is planning something with Senna and they're gonna hurt Hime?"

Nodding shakily, Menoly stuttered. "Y-Yes… I'm not sure on the details, but I know my sister. When she's jealous of others, she won't stop until they're ruined."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Grimmjow sneered, "What makes you think I'll trust your words?"

Looking into his azure eyes, she replied, "Well, you care about her… Right? Isn't that why you get mad when Kurosaki-san goes near her? You're overprotective over her, as though you were her older brother. I would never lie about someone being hurt."

Nel, confused at this girl's actions, questioned her, "But… Why would you be telling us? Why are you going against your sister when you've always stuck by her side?"

Keeping her composure, Menoly sighed, "I'm tired of Loly suffering. She's scared of Senna because she has power. Obviously she's scared that she'll be nothing and that's why she clings to Senna's words. She feels like she has control when she's with her. I didn't like how she was starting to get more physical with Inoue-san. That's why I left. I'm tired of all the hate and jealously and drama."

Sighing, Grimmjow ran a hand through his hair. He stood up, causing Menoly to stiffen.

"Alright. I believe you. You can count on us to help. I'm not sure what she has up her sleeve, but whatever it is, we won't let that happen."

Giving him a small smile, she whispered,

"Arigato."

.

.

.

"Orihime-chan~! It's so good to see you again! Oh~ You worried your doctor a lot!"

"Gomen, Kurosaki-san. I didn't mean to make you worry." Orihime mumbled, hiding her face behind her curtain of hair.

"It's alright! The next time you want to be alone, just tell me where you're going so I know where to find you… Oh! You have a visitor!"

Orihime looked up as Isshin stepped aside to reveal her "visitor".

"It's been a while… hasn't it, Hime-chan?"

"AUNTIE!"

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.

.

_Hopefully we're going to start anew._

_Just the two of us._

* * *

_**A/N: Hey guys! Just don't mind the errors (if there's any) as I have to go to work soon. I just wanted to upload this before I went so you guys would have something to read!**  
_


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